Together forever
by Tsuki Karasu
Summary: I'm sorry to say, but i've stopped writing this story, and i doubt that i will every add another chapter...to those loyal readers, i'm really sorry! Please don't hate me! But i'm going to leave it posted at least, so thank you once again for the reviews!
1. Arrival

Chapter 1

  


"Where is he!?" she shouted at the guards, while her fur frizzed.

"I…I'm…I'm not sure."

"Well go and find him!" One of the guards quickly ran off, leaving her furious.

_Oh Master Van, where are you?_ Merle thought, _if he's not at the meeting on time, he's going to be trouble!_

Her ears pricked up as she heard a noise; she followed it around the corner, and saw that it was Van. Once again he was mindlessly heading up to the roof, to look at the Mystic Moon.It's been nearly two and a half rotations since he last saw Hitomi.He spent most of his nights there watching, seeing if she will ever come back.He was almost on the roof when he saw Merle.

"Ohhhh Master Van there you are!" she ran up and hugged him."Allen is waiting for you down stairs, he and Lady Celena will be very angry if you are not ready on time."

"I was just getting me sword" He lied. It seemed that he had to lie about the fact that he missed her. "I'll be right down."

They both came down the main stair well, Van looking strong, but unsure of himself, and Merle wrapped around his arm.Van has grown since the Great War, more mature like a man.Celena tried to curtsy but her legs are still weak.Allen quickly helped to support me so that I wouldn't fall.

"It's nice to see you again, Allen, Lady Celena.I hope that you are well."The King said.

"Van, Fanelia is starting to look like a city again." Allen said as he bowed.

"Van your country looks amazing! You should be very proud of yourself." Celena said as she walked over to him and gave him a hug.

"Thank you.There is still much to be done." He paused. The subject of Dilandau never came up after the war, be he still wanted to be careful about what he said to her. "Celena you are looking much better. Are you feeling better?"

"Yes. Much better.Thank you Van." They had become the best of friends after the war.They had spent a lot of time together, which had helped them with their problems.Van had found Celena very easy to talk to.

"Are you ready to go, Van?' Allen asked.The King solemnly nodded his head knowing how boring it is going to be.He hated politics.

"Van, if you don't want to go just say your sick." Allen said.

"Allen you know that I can't do that.I'm a King; I have to know what's going on in Gaia.Anyways I have to sign the parchment, to unite the Kingdoms." Allen gave him a curious look.

"Let's be off the. We'll sleep on our way over." Van took Celena's arm and followed Allen.

~*~*~*~

(On Earth. Monday morning)

"Hitomi! Please answer the question." The teacher shouted at her for the third time.

"It's too early to be thinking" she groaned quietly to herself. "Umm…" Thankfully Yukari is her science partner and she pushed over her book and pointed to the answer.Every day was a struggle to get through without daydreaming. Thankfully she only had half a semester till she was done high school.

The teacher was satisfied with the answer that she gave him.When he turned away to write on the board, Yukari harshly whispered to her, "Pay attention before you get into real trouble.Hitomi, stop daydreaming!" When Yukari looked more closely at her, she gave her a weird look. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Umm ya just a little tired." She replied.

"I hope you're awake for the track meeting."

"I'm never too tired to run." Hitomi said with a smile.

Before returning to her work she caught a quick glace at the sky _Oh Van when will I see you again?_

_~__*__~__*__~__*__~_

**_Van held Hitomi in his arms. _Hitomi…I love the smell of her hair and the feel of her body, as I hold her in my arms. Her face is so near to mine._Her eyes are so wide with a look of curiosity.Her checks are pink with a faint blush. Just as I was about to fulfill my dreams for months on end, a pillar of blue-white light surrounded us. _**

_"No, not now! She can't leave.I won't let her leave me again. Not now, not ever!"_

"Hitomi!" It was a dream. He realized that, as he bolted up from his own bed, he was drenched in a cold sweat. _Hitomi, where are you? When will you come back to Gaia?_To me? _Why did I break the link between us? Why did I do it? I know now that it was the wrong thing to do but I thought that you should find someone else there who can be there for you at all times...because… I can't._

He had returned home from signing the alliance documents earlier this morning; it had taken three days to get the papers in order and during that time he hadn't really looked at the stars.He moved over to his balcony; as he stared up at the moons he knew the real reason why he broke their connection.It was because he longed for her and he missed her.It hurt too much to keep "talking" to her.He now knew that that was the second dumbest thing that he has every done.The first was that he let her go back before she knew how he really felt about her.

He slowly wondered over to the window, and sat on the ledge for a while, gazed at the mystic moon. Then he suddenly jumped out, spread his white wings and flew to cool off and to just get away from life._Hitomi I will see you again, because I… need you…_

~*~*~*~

_Van please, talk to me.I need to hear your voice._Angrily Hitomi sat up on her bed, unable to sleep._Why did you stop talking to me?_

"ARGE! Van I can't deal with this anymore!" she said out loud, forgetting that her family was still sleeping.She quickly lowered her voice; "I have to get my mind off him, since he doesn't want to be a part of me anymore." She looked at her clock, 5:36am."The sun will rise soon" She got out a pen and paper,

'_Mother and Father,_

_I've gone out for a walk; I should be back before 7:30am.Please don't worry; I just needed to get some air._

_With Love,_

_Hitomi._

She quickly got changed into her track stuff and grabbed her bag and the note.She quietly crept down stairs, and left her home.

Since she needed to get her mind off things, she thought that she would go for a quick run at her school.When she got to her school, thankfully no one else was there.As she prepared herself to start she couldn't stop thinking about him.She first saw him here, at the track, and she felt as if he's going to come back and get her for the third time right here._Ahhh get out of my mind! __Ok I have to calm down. Breath.Ok, I'm ready._

_'Ready. Set. GO!'_ She thought to herself as she started to run as fast as she could.She couldn't stop thinking about him._When will I be able to get on with my life? Why can't I outrun his voice? I can always hear it in the back of my head. With school and track I don't have time for anything else. _She thought to herself.__

Distracted, she didn't notice that her shoelace was coming undone."Ahhh!" She yelped as she fell on the sandpaper-like ground."Damnit!Just get out of my head!"_Crap, crap, crap, crap! _She thought.She scraped her knee and her hands when she fell.

"I've had enough.I can't take it anymore."She walked over to a tree and sat down and tied her shoelace, and sat there to relax.

The area around her suddenly went dark. _What's going on?_Then she realized that it was a vision._Oh no, not a vision.I haven't had one since Gaia._"I don't want to see the future anymore."She closed her eyes. _I refuse to see anything!_

It was hot.She had to open her eyes, because the heat was too intense._Fire.This looks like Fanelia.I can hear crying. A boy.Van. But he looks so young, much younger than Van would be now; he looks about four. That can't be.I never knew him before, so how can I be seeing him this young it doesn't make any sense._ A cat woman ran over to the little boy, _but that looks like Merle, but she's so old.I don't understand. Please no more!_The flames engulfed us._No!_

She opened her eyes; she was back at her school's track. __Van… What was that? Are you in trouble?Who was that boy, and was that cat woman Merle? I need to know if you area all right. Van…

A pillar of blue-white light surrounded her.She knew that this light is going to take her back to Gaia. Back To Van.

~*~*~*~

"The star's are so beautiful." He muttered under his breath. "Guess it's time to head back, at least before Merle finds me gone. What's that?" 

The pillar of blue-white light suddenly appeared off in the distant forest. "What?! It can't be… HITOMI…!"

He got up and flew over to the fading light as fast as he could.As he flew he saw her land in the river and he rushed down to get the body not being sure that was Hitomi out of the water,"Hitomi! Are you all right? Hold on, I'm coming!"

As he swooped down to find the person, she wasn't there; he heard a mumble heading down stream.As he peered cluster he saw that it was Hitomi.He flew as fast as he could, but it was too late.She went over the waterfall, which supplied most of Fanilea's cities.He dove over the waterfall to try to get to her before she hits the bottom.

After a struggle he finally caught a hold of her bag – which was still over her shoulder – and he quickly pulled her body close.Her eyes were wide with panic and she was immobilized with fear.He felt her arms tightly hug his neck and her legs entwined with his own.This surprised him, but he didn't have time to react.

Suddenly he noticed that they were drifting back towards the waterfall.It was too late.The water falling from the waterfall was pounding on one of his wings.There was a cracking sound, and then there was a sharp pain in his wing.They started to plummet towards the bottom.Knowing that he couldn't fly, he tried to glide over to land.He spread his wings out as far as they could go, but they were still falling too fast.He knew that they were about to hit land. 

"Hold on Hitomi!" he said as he pulled her closer to his body, and at the last minute he turned over so that his body would hit first and cushion her fall.They finally hit the ground and started to roll.When they stopped rolling he slowly got up and made sure that she was all right.She was unconscious and somewhat blue from fall's cold water.He knew that he had to warm her up and quickly.Her cloths were soaked and he had to get her into dry cloths.He carefully removed her bag from her, and looked through the bag.All he found was shorts and a T-shirt.He didn't care that they were a little wet, at least they were dryer then the cloths she was wearing.

It didn't acutely hit him till then; he would have to change her.He could feel his face was going very red.

He quickly changed her, trying not to embarrass himself too much.Although trying not to look at her body, he couldn't resist it anymore!As he looked upon her in awe he saw that she was gorgeous!He noticed that she had become a beautiful woman, with an amazing body, which he longed to hold.

Once done he hesitantly went off to get some firewood.When he found some he hurried back towards her, afraid that she would awake and find him not there.

Before reaching her, he looked at his wing.He was sure that it was broken.He painfully set it in place (or so he thought) so that it would heal right.The pain was barely endurable, but he could deal with the pain, but only because he was extremely worried about the safe being of Hitomi. 

Once the fire was lit he checked on her, she was still very cold.He carefully picked her up and walked over to a tree, not two feet from the fire.He gently sat down and held her body.He also wrapped his good wing around her for more warmth.With the heat between the fire, his warm body and his blanket of feathers, he hoped that she would be warm enough.

(*Note* Ok I don't own Escaflowne, I never have and never will, the only thing that I do own is some of the characters that I made up. Well people this is the NEW version of chapter 1. I hoped you like it! If there are any mistakes that I have missed, please tell me so that I can correct them right away.)


	2. Need

  


He woke up remembering the precious thing in his arms.He looked around to see if anything was amiss.Then he looked at her; her face wasn't pale and her lips weren't blue anymore.Actually her checks were pink with a slight blush and she had a beautiful smile on her face.There was some hair on her face, he slowly moved his hand as not to wake her, and brushed the hair aside.

She moaned a bit, and snuggled into the warmth.Slowly opening her eyes she saw where the warmness was coming from; Van. 

_I'm here, on Gaia.I made it. I'm here with my friends and with…Van._ All she saw around her was him, and white. __Am I dead? I remembered falling off the waterfall, and Van had tried to save me.Is he dead too?

While snuggling up to his chest, she started to cry.

"Hitomi? What's wrong?" he said in a rich, soft, kind voice.

"Oh Van… am I dead?"

"Far from it, I hope." He said with a deep little chuckle 

"But all I see is you… and white."

He slightly flushed because he really didn't like showing people his wings; his impurity; his cursed part; his horrible wings.He could not look into her innocent emerald eyes while he sees himself as tainted. 

"Van… please don't be ashamed of your wings, they really are beautiful.I wish …I wish that I could fly and to have wings such as yours; angel wings."

"Thank you Hitomi.I wouldn't want you to have a pair of tainted wings, especially with the curse..."

"Shhhh… You worry too much." she whispered. She liked being in his soft snowy embrace.

"I missed you Hitomi." He murmured.

"Van…" She just wanted to stay there with him, for eternity.

A few minutes later, she remembered the one thing that she had to ask him.

"Van…Why did you...?"

He knew the question was going to appear sooner or later.

"I…I was…trying…" he lied.What he really meant to say was that he was trying to get enough courage to talk to her.

She got up, now not wanting to hear another excuse. 

"For over a year I haven't talked to you.Why?"She turned around not allowing him to see her face as tears poured from her eyes. She was hurt that after all this time of trying to get over him, he pops back into her life and makes her fall for him again.

Van tried to get up, but his broken wing prevented it.He let out a short grunt and fell back against the tree.Hitomi turned around, her face betraying her. He hated it when she cried, he felt so guilty.

"What's wrong?" she asked in a concerned voice forgetting the fight.

Van sighed, "My wing, I think it may be broken, and I can't retracted it till it's healed." He said, knowing if he lied to her it would only make the situation worse.

"Van…I…" she didn't know what to say or to do.Suddenly her sight went dark.She felt was burning and pain.Fanelia was burning to the ground.She turned around to see a boy crying.She was having the same vision.

~*~*~*~

"HITOMI!!!" he shouted as she started to fall.He rushed to catch her ignoring the pain he felt in his wing.

Luckily he caught her right before she hit the ground, but they still fell to the ground together.

"Hitomi! What's wrong?Please wake up!" he said desperately. _I need you._ He thought and slowly started to remember that she always fainted while have a vision.He calmed down, but only barely. 

"I have to get you back to the castle."He gently laid her down and picked up his sword and kicked dirt over the, still hot wood.He picked her up and cradled her in his arms as he started to walk towards his home.

"I wonder what you're seeing."

~*~*~*~

They were about two hours away from the castle, Hitomi started to move and wake up.Once again she woke up in a warm embrace She noticed that Van was carrying her, most likely home.

_Why did I just call it home?It's not my home; it's Van's._ She quickly forget her question and remember two things; one, she was mad at him and the other she needed him.

Knowing that she was awake, he quietly started to say what he had been rehearsing for over an hour.But it still didn't come out right.

"Hitomi I… I was afraid that I'd never see you again, and that it hurts so much whenever I spoke to you.I know that's really selfish, I'm sorry…I missed you so much.I needed you by my side and I couldn't have you, and…" He started to mentally beat himself for saying it that way to her. What must she think of him?

"Shhhh…" she said quietly "Van it's okay…" she never got to finish because he interrupted her.

"It's not ok!!!I can't do this anymore! Hitomi I want you." He gently set her down and roughly sat down on the mildewy grass.He put his head down, unable to look at her anymore.Shame, was the only thing he could think of.

Mire seconds later (although it felt like an eternity) she sat down beside him, and let her head rest on his shoulder. 

"Van, I need you and want you more than I need air."

The joy he felt in his heart almost made him jump up and kiss her but was too embarrassed; instead he said, "I will always care for and protect you, my Hitomi."

He rested his head on her head and put his nervous arm around her waist, and they just sat there, alone, but together.

A single tear fell from her eye. The tear came from the happiness she felt in her heart.

~*~*~*~

Van had decided to take the long way home, which would also lead them to the back of the castle because not many people know about his wings.He stopped right before they exited the forest, as well before anyone (or so he thought) could see them.

"Van, it looks just like… before it burnt down.It's beautiful." She whispered in awe.

As she turned around, he wrapped his other arm around her waist.He slowly moved his head down, but only to rest his forehead against hers.He held her there until she brought her arms up and put them around his neck.She leaned into Van wanting to kiss him for the first time, but out of the blue Merle came out of the bushes.

"Lord Van, your home!Who is that?" as she got a closer look at who Van, somewhat embarrassed she said, "HITOMI?!Is it really you?"Merle ran up and tackled Hitomi from Van's arms. Merle was hugging her so hard that Hitomi almost couldn't breath.Merle also started to lick her face, because she was so happy to see her friend.

"Oh Merle, I missed you so much, but PLEASE stop licking my face!!!"

Van started to laugh so much that his wing started to hurt.

"Lord Van!I am SO mad at you!You left in the middle of the night, not telling me where you were going or for that matter who you were bringing back." All the while with her hands on her hips, giving Hitomi a wink. Hitomi noticed that Merle hit puberty. She was a full grown cat-woman. "AND not to mention yourself and your guest are bruised, bleeding, and you hurt your wing!!What am I going to do with you?"Merle stopped seeing that Van is face, was going very pale, as a surge of pain passed though him.

"Please, get a doctor." He said as he passed out from lack of food, sleep and the pain, which had grown a lot since that morning.

"Van!" Hitomi and Merle shouted in unison, Hitomi grabbed him trying to hold him up.

"Merle go and get somebody to help." Merle ran off at top speed shouting for a doctor and some guards to assist Hitomi with Van.Hitomi gently but quickly brought Van to his room with the aid of some of the guards.They carefully set him down on the bed, and then they left the room.

"What's wrong with him?" Merle demanded of the doctors.

"I'm not sure as of yet, I have to examine him.Everyone please leave the room."

"I'm not leaving this room!" Hitomi said forcefully, surprising everyone. She suddenly felt very protective of the man who protected her.

"All right it's your choice," The doctor said as he started to strip Van to make a full inspection of his body and wings.

Hitomi must have gone a dozen different shades of red, but somehow managed to say, "Hey Merle, let's go and get some food.I'm sure the doctor will let us know if anything is amiss."

Merle laughed as she saw Hitomi leave the room faster than a bird.Merle slowly chased after her friend laughing all the while.

~*~*~*~

Once Merle and Hitomi were done eating a lot of food - surprisingly especially Hitomi – Merle went out to wander around, which was very surprising for Hitomi because she wasn't as defensive over Van.Hitomi took it upon herself to get some food for Van when he wakes up.

When she quietly opened his door, trying not to wake Van up, she saw that no one else was in the room.She put his food on the table beside his bed and sat in the chair next to his bed.

"Van it's all my fault that your like this, why did you have to be the hero? Van, please wake up and be okay." At first a dim but then bright red light caught her attention, it was the pendent, he still wore it, after all this time.

"I'm so sorry Van." Hitomi started to cry unable to look at Van's eyes.He looked like an angel, but only dead. He was so pale and one of his wings had a bandage around it. She blamed herself.She fell onto his body crying uncontrollably.

~*~*~*~

Later that night Van started to wake up.He still felt a lot of pain, mainly in his right wing, but it wasn't as bad as before.He also felt something heavy on his chest.It was Hitomi body! _Please, no, is she dead?_A heart beat.It was Hitomi, _she's alive; but she is sleeping._

He slowly sat up; trying not to disturbed the sleeping body and trying not to move his wing._She must be exhausted. _He thought to himself._I wonder how long I was out… I AM SO HUNGRY!!! _As a growing man, Van has been eating a lot of food.

He slowly got out of bed from the opposite side of Hitomi, he went over to where she was and gently picked her up and he noticed that her eyes were red, he guessed that she had been crying.

"Oh Hitomi, please don't cry, everything will always be alright as long as you're with me."

He set her down tenderly on the bed, about to leave to get some food, when he saw that there was some food on the table beside his bed; he took a mouth full and crept into his bed and beside her.

Gradually he picked her up so that she could rest on his unharmed wing, and he wrapped his arms around her and started to fall asleep.He was very worried that she might be mad at him for doing this but it just felt right to him, with his arms around her.

~*~*~*~

"Mmmm…" Hitomi moaned as she slowly woke up with the sun's rays were shinning through the window.When she took a closer look around she then noticed that she was in bed with Van.

IN BED WITH VAN!?!? 

_What have I done? How did I get here? He is going to be so mad! I have to get out of here before he realizes what I've done._A look of dread passed through her face when she saw some of the food was gone._The others must already know that I'm here; he's going to be disgusted when he hears of this.What have I done!?!?_She ran out of the room too afraid to look back as she woke him up.

~*~*~*~

"Mmmm…Whaaaatttt?…"Van said lazily."Mmmm… Hitomi?"W_here is she?_"SHIT! What have I done? She must be really mad at me to just run off like that.I am such a baka!"_How am I going to face her now?_

__Just as he was about to get out of bed and chase after Hitomi, Merle and the doctor walked by, seeing his door open and him awake they came in and check up on him.Thankfully he didn't think that they saw Hitomi run out of his room.

"Ohhhh, Lord Van" Merle squealed. "You're awake! How are you feeling?"

"Better.Negise, how long till I can got out of this infuriating bed?" Van asked the doctor.

"Ummm…I guess you can get out today, your Majesty, but no strenuous actives." He bowed as he talked to the King.

Van hated all the formalities but didn't say anything because he was too worried about Hitomi.

"Thank you Negise."

The doctor gave both Van and Merle instructions on changing the bandages and if they start to bleed they are to call him.He decided that he was no longer needed here at the castle, so Negise left.

"Oh Lord Van, I'm so glad you are feeling better.Is there anything that I can do? Are you hungry?"Without waiting for a reply she was about to sprint out but remember to ask him a question, "Lord Van, have you seen Hitomi? I haven't seen her all day." 

Van quickly looked away so that Merle doesn't see him blush."Ummm…I haven't seen her… but if you do find her please tell her that I would like to talk to her."

"Ok, be back in a sec with some food."

After Merle left he started to think of what he's going to say to Hitomi.He felt so helpless in bed, _I guess I have to face her sooner than later, I'll move to my study, because if she saw me in bed that just may make her even madder at me._

"I hate beds!"

(*A/N: Hello all!!! This chapter is now re-edited…So I hoped that you enjoyed it!!! ^_^ Oki Miya)


	3. Emotions

Merle saw that Van was feeling better so she asked him if she could leave for a couple of days, No doubt to see that Tom cat-m

_Chapter III: Emotions_

(*NOTE*: There are mature scenes in this so if your shy and not willing to read this, don't continue.But don't worry it doesn't get too in to detail. ^_^)

Merle saw that Van was feeling better so she asked him if she could leave for a couple of days, n_o doubt to see that Tom cat-man who has been seen around the castle lately_, how could Van refuse her, when he himself wanted to spend time with HER.So she said that she would be back in one week.

As he sat in his study, looking over something's that his advisors left, there was a knock at the door.He tensed up, knowing that it was Hitomi.

"Come in." Hitomi came in.What could he say to her? He could feel the tenseness in the room.

"You wanted to see me?" She said looking away, letting her eyes wonder around the room.Slowly her eyes came back to his, he still had his wings out, and he was still missing his shirt. She guessed that he was unable to retract them yet because of the hurt wing.

He gathered his courage and stood up, he started to come towards her, but then he quickly turned towards the window losing his courage as quickly as he found it.

"Van…" "Hitomi…" They both said in unison.Hitomi decided to let him yell at her first, and then she would apologize.

"Hitomi I am so sorry…" That caught her off guard, she didn't expect him to apologize for what she had done last night.

"For what?For hearing that I moved into your bed while you slept?I'm the one who should…"

Van looked at her, startled. "What? You didn't move into my bed, I put you there."He blushed at how blunt he was talking to her.He realized what had happened, she thought that he was mad at her and he thought that she was mad at him. "I guess it was all a misunderstanding."_But I wouldn't mind making it a habit of waking up like that. _He thought.

"Then who ate that huge plate of food?" Hitomi asked curiously.

"Ummm… I did. I was very hungry, I guess that's normal for a growing King." He said with a large smile.

"You are a PIG!" she said as the tension slipped from the room with her cheery laugh.

"Ummm... What's a pig?" he asked curiously looking at her.

"It's an dirty animal who eats a lot of food." She couldn't stop laughing.

Playfully outraged he said, "Ya well, you make funny noises while you sleep!" 

"You drooled when you slept." They both were now laughing unable to stop.

"I'll get you for that!"He said as he ran towards her.

"Catch me if you can!" She jumped out of his reach just enough.

"Oh I will," he said with a joking evil grin.

They both started to run around the large room, away from each other, laughing and playing. _This is the first time that I've ever seen him laughing._ She thought to herself.

Finally he played a trick on her and caught her around the waist and they both fell to the ground, laughing.

"I bet that you're very ticklish," Hitomi said as she started to probe his bare chest for ticklish spots.Van started to wiggle uncontrollably; Hitomi had found where he was ticklish.

"Ha, I got you now! Does the King of Fanelia give up?" she asked him as he was still laughing very hard.

"NEVER!" he wrapped his arms around her waist and rolled over, so now he was on top of her, "Ha the table have turned!"They started to roll over each other each trying to get the upper hand in the little game that they were playing.They finally stopped when some of his advisors entered the study.

"Ahhh… Ummm your Majesty?" One of them said looking at their King, who had no shirt on, and some unknown woman on top of him.

Hitomi at long last rolled off him; as Hitomi lay on her back while Van sat up to look at his annoying advisors, smiling. One of Van advisors – the one that bugged Van the most about marriage – walked up to him.

"Your Majesty… who is this?!?!"

"It's none of your business…_but_ this is Hitomi Kanzaki.Also did I not say that _no one _was to disturb me?Now you can leave the room, knock and _then_ enter _if_ I say okay." Hitomi couldn't stop giggling in the background, laughing at the fact that he _can_ do this.

"But your Majestyyyy…" he said as the guard literally dragged him by the collar of his neck, out of the room.

"Instructions your Majesty?" the guard asked as he re-entered to escort out the rest of the advisors.

"I will see them later…I'm not sure when…or where, but not now."

"Yes your Majesty." he said as he bowed.The guard had the biggest grin on his face while his other advisors stood with their mouths agape.

As soon as the advisors left the room Van burst out laughing. He only stopped because he was out of breath.Hitomi was still giggling at what happened.

"That looked like so much fun."

"It was.Although I've never really done anything like that before, I wonder how mad their going to be?But to tell you the truth I don't really care at the moment…" Van and Hitomi sat there, wondering who was going to speak next; once again there was a lot of tension in the air.

Van gave in and spoke. "Would you like me to give you a tour of the new Fanelia?" He asked slightly afraid of her answer.

"Yes please, I would really like that.But what about your wings?" 

_Hitomi sounds really worried, which means that I still might have a chance with her._

"Oh ya." he retracted them with a bit of a wince.

"Are you okay?" she asked concerned.

"Ya, I'm still just a bit sore.Are you ready?I just have to stop at my room to get a shirt."

"Ok" she said with her bright smile that he remember, from long ago.

~*~*~*~

"I guess I'll start here, at the castle, because we're here now.The rest of the city is done, but the castle will take a couple more years, we started to re-build right after the Great War, and ever since we never stopped working. I didn't want my people to go for so long without a home, so I left the least important for last. It's a beautiful day so I'll show you the castle gardens first."

He anxiously took her hand and led her around the gardens – which were in full bloom.The smell of the flowers filled the air with the most wonderful perfume.

"Van it's so beautiful." Hitomi said all dreamy eyes.

"There's more." As he led her father away from the castle, there was a secret little garden, which held a familiar giant, covered in vines.There sat Escaflowne, resting here, hopefully until the end of days.

"What happened? How did the vines grow so quickly?"

"I'm not sure how they grew so fast, but all I know is that I don't really mind because I don't plan to use it anymore, although it was fun to fly like that, I mean across countries, and with you."

"Are you happy here Van?I mean being a king with all the responsibilities?"

"I truly wasn't happy before but I've come to be very happy.I just really hated all the pressure with…" he suddenly stopped and turned around, blushing.

"With what Van?"

"…Well my advisors and my kingdom both wanted a Queen and a…heir.I wasn't ready to give that to them.I needed to find the right person." He paused looking away."Hitomi…will you stay here with me."

Hitomi was so red because she knew what he was implying.

"Ahhh… Van." she never got to finish because they both heard people coming towards them.

Van moved in front of Hitomi ready to protect her with his life. He had his sword in hand, just incase.

A page appeared out of the bushes, and then suddenly moved back because there was a sword to his throat.

Van lowered the sword so that the page could speak. "Your Majesty?King Van, the Duke of Freid is on his way to Fanelia again, because there has been more reports of attacks." Said the messenger.

"How long till he arrives?" Van asked, seething his sword.

"Two hours."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" he asked very calmly.

"Sire, we tried but you had the advisors thrown out of the study."

"I see.That was the highlight of my day.Oh well, prepare a feast, and some rooms for tomorrow night because I'm sure that they will be very tired for their trip.Oh and I think that we should also have a small party, because we have something to celebrate."

"Thank you your Majesty," he bowed deeply then left.

"I guess we should go and prepare.I'll give you the tour another day, you don't mind do you?" he asked, and she simply nodded her head, not minding at all."You'll need to see a tailor for a gown and a wardrobe.I have to go and do some Kingly stuff.Otherwise I'll be in my room, hiding from the advisors.May I?" he asked as he offered his arm.Hitomi giggled.

Van thought that it would be a better idea if he brought up his earlier question after the ball.

"Of course, Your Majesty." She said bowing and playing along.

"The King does get to dance with whom ever he wants, you know."

"Really, I didn't know." She said with a joking smile.

"Shall we be off?"

"Why of course."

~*~*~*~

Hitomi and Van finally went their separate ways, leaving the tour for another day.Since it was the afternoon, they had barely enough time to make a dress and get her ready for tomorrow evening.Hitomi had to get a gown; she really wanted to make a good first (or second) impression on the people of Fanelia. She thought that a blue dress would look nice but everyone else insisted on green.She guessed to match her eyes.She didn't really care as long as it made Van happy.

She missed the dinner that night, still being fitted for her gown and other daily dress's.She didn't even get to see Van before she went to bed, or even the next morning, before getting ready. She hadn't been able to leave the room to do anything.She really wanted to see Chid after all this time but she was forbidden to leave her room. After trying to sneak out of the room and even getting out through the balcony she wasn't allowed to see Van until the dinner later tonight.

~*~*~*~

It was finally nighttime and she was so mad that she hadn't been able to see Van for almost two days.

"This better be worth it." She mumbled as she went out her door to go to dinner.She was almost late for dinner.As she saw the entrance to the dinning hall she noticed that the doors were closed._Oh crap! I really hope that I'm not late._

The two guards, guarding each door opened them so that she could enter with her gown flowing behind her.

~*~*~*~

The doors suddenly flew open; the soft music and talking stopped as a stunning goddess entered the room.Van stood with his mouth wide open; _By Atlantis she's amazing.I feel like a peasant in comparison to her. _Van finally got his act together, and walked over to her, offering his arm.All the other ladies stared as the King of Fanelia helped this unknown woman to her seat next to Van.When the music and the chatter began again, Hitomi asked,

"Hitomi I'm sorry that I wasn't able to bring you down here myself, they kept me from going to you…" he apologized.

"Van, you don't have to apologize for anything…Van…is there something of my face or my dress?Why was everyone looking at me?" She asked totally panicky.

"Hitomi, the ladies were looking at you because they're jealous; they've all been chasing me for years." He said with a sly grin.

"While the men where looking at the most beautiful thing they will ever set their eyes on." Said a familiar voice from behind her.Hitomi turned around and saw that Chid was right behind her.

"Chid! Oh, you've grown. I'm so happy to see you.How have you been?Thank you for the compliment." She said so excited to see some of her old friends again.Hitomi realized that Chid was becoming more and more like his real father, Allen, everyday, in looks and in personality._I wonder if he knows that Allen is his real father…_

"Hitomi, I'm so glad you came back to us.How have you been?I hope well."

"I've been very good.I think that we should get everyone back together again, I would really like to see everyone again." Looking at Van, pleadingly.

"I've already arranged it, Queen Millerna and King Dryden will be arriving shortly – couple of days – and Allen and his sister - Lady Celena - will be here in two weeks. Although I just came back for seeing them, they're off again doing something for Celena, Allen will do anything she asks of him. It's really funny."

"Chid, when can we get together to catch up?"

"I was hoping that I might be able to steal you away from Van during the Ball for a couple of dances?"

"Of course" She said with a bright smile.

~*~*~*~

Dinner was exciting but it was over very soon.Then came the dancing.Hitomi was so excited.Van came up to her when the music had just begun.

"Hitomi would you like to dance, with me?"

A look of horror passed over her face.

Van looked hurt when he saw her face, he said "Hitomi, if you would not like to dance with me, then…"

"Oh Van, it's nothing like that, it's just that…" she looked down really embarrassed, "I don't know how to dance."

"Oh, is that all?" Trying to get a reaction out of her.

"IS THAT ALL!?!"She asked outraged.

Van's deep laugh calmed her down, but only a bit."I'll show you how. Don't worry, I promise, I'll make sure that you won't fall."

"But what if I do?Van please nooooooOOOO…" she wailed and looked mortified as he took her hand, before she could finish her phrase, and led her into a slow dance. After a few minutes she got used to the rhythm. She put her arms around his neck and moved very close to him.She rested her head on his chest, hearing that his heartbeat was becoming faster.

_This is so perfect;_ Hitomi thought to herself _I want to stay like this for the rest of my life._

As soon as that dance was over many other inquisitive men came over, wondering who the King of Fanelia was dancing with. They all had come up to ask her for a dance. The ladies who didn't have a partner, because their partners had all asked Hitomi, stood at the side and sighed.

She danced with many of Van's new friends and some of their old one's.She had a long talk with Chid, as they danced, and they caught up on old times.It was a bit awkward because he was a bit too small, but he has grown a lot since she last saw him.She started to become tired and needed to get some air.

Hitomi excused herself and left the ballroom and went to a balcony, and took in the slightly chilled air and the beautiful starry scene.

_The moons look beautiful from here.Oh Amono, Yukari, brother, father, mother… I miss you all so much…_She leaned up against the rail to stair off in the distance.

~*~*~*~

Van had seen her leave the ballroom, and followed her to the balcony.He saw her look up at the Mystic Moon; _She must miss her family, her friends and her life._ Van walked up to her and slowly wrapped his arms around her.

"Van…" she said as she leaned against him taking in his warmth and breathing in his scent.

"Shhhh… you can… go back anytime you want.I'll always be waiting for you… here on Gaia."

Music could be heard from the background, she turned around in his arms and started to sway back and forth with music.

"Don't think about that.I'm not leaving."She leaned into him, and stood up on her tips toes as high as possible._He's too tall_. She smiled as he leaned down to kiss her.At first she could only feel a light brush of his lips on her.He leaned into her more, to make the kiss deeper.He wrapped his arms gently around her, lifting her up to hold her closer.They slowly moved back till her back hit the railing.He lifted her up to sit on the railing, not separating their lips all the while.

"Mmmm…" she moaned as he ran his hands up and down her back.

Finally he broke off the kiss – only because they couldn't breath – and he rested his head against hers.He could feel her shivering.

"Are you cold?"

"No, I'm not cold."She was shivering because of the intensity of their first kiss.She really wanted to kiss him again.She waited… and waited… but he didn't make a move to continue.

"Your too slow." She mumble and took over, while she pulled down his mouth so that she could reach it.She kissed him hard not wanting it to ever end.He was taken aback by surprise but responded quickly, kissing her very deeply.She started to lean too far over the edge of the railing and he just barely caught her before she fell off, but she never allowed him to break off the kiss.To make sure that that didn't happen again she ran her hand through his hair, and took hold of it, and made sure that he couldn't break off the kiss again.Minutes went by, but he did anyways.

"This is too good to be true." Van moaned too happy to move letting his lips brush against her's as he spoke.Hitomi laughed, she was deliriously happy.She hopped down from the railing; she stood in front of him.He must be about 6'3".He had grown out of the boy she once knew and into a man, who she looked upon."I think we should go back before they send a search party for us."She said getting a disappointed look from Van; he did not want to leave her embrace.

"Well I think that I am starting to get tired, but I'll come down for a few more dances, then I'll go to sleep."

"Ok… but first…" he said as once again their lips locked, but only for a quick kiss.

"Mmmm…. you taste good" Hitomi said making Van blush.

~*~*~*~

They walked back, hand in hand, both with a smile on their faces. Both danced with other people for about another hour then Hitomi made her way to Van.He immediately got up started to dance with her.

"Van, I'm tired now, so I just came to say good night and to excuse myself."_Not to mention trying to get another kiss out of him. _She thought to herself.

"First, you know that you don't have to excuse yourself; second, tomorrow is going to be a very lazy day and lastly… Good night Hitomi.Would you like me to walk you to your room?"

"You don't have to…"

"But I will anyways."He said with a smile.They stopped dancing and began to walk to the doors; Van quietly spoke to one of the guards.

As they walked to her room, all the guards had grins on their faces, and everyone else gave them smiles, nods, and more grins.They couldn't walk by somebody without them noticing the King.

"Van… where is your room?"

"It's about three doors down.If you ever need me I'll be there."They stopped right in front of her door; she looked down wondering what's going to happen next.Van moved his hand to her chin and tilted her head up towards him.

"You are so beautiful, Hitomi." She blushed furiously.He moved his down, and kissed her passionately.Still out in the hall, she had her back against her door and she decided to try to go farther.She moved one of her hands to the doorknob and turned it.As the door opened they slowly moved in never parting.He accidentally kicked the door too hard, to close it; startled, Hitomi jumped.

"What was…." she never got to finish because his lips were back on hers.Her mind started to go very fuzzy.They bumped into chairs and a table before they got to the bed.She fell down, and he followed her down.He had his hand under her, as he lay on top of her.His hands started to undo her gown.She stopped their kiss, afraid as to where this might lead.

"Van I'm sorry, but no.I'm just not ready for that yet." His eyes came into focus as he realized what he was doing.

He got off of her and turned his back."I am _so_ sorry Hitomi, I didn't realized what I was doing…"

"Don't worry. Van, please don't be mad." She hugged him from behind, and kissed his back between his shoulder blades.

"Good night Hitomi." He said as he was opening the door.She spun him around with all her strength, looked at him intently.

"Van, please don't be mad.I really enjoyed tonight… _every part of it._" She blushed.

He stood in the doorframe and looked at her."Hitomi, I missed you so much."

"Van, I really missed you too.Good night Van, I will see you tomorrow morning.I'll be right here." She smiled.

Van looked at her eyes, they were filled with love.He left, not wanting to ruin the moment.

Hitomi flopped on her bed, thinking about Van.

_I am so happy that I'm back with him.I'm so happy that we're together.Forever._

_(A/N: I hoped you liked it!! Oki Miya)_


	4. Vision

_Chapter IV: Vision_

Van woke really early, the next morning too excited to sleep, he laid in bed daydreaming about Hitomi, knowing that she was going to be here with him all day. Here on Gaia.He couldn't believe that he had kissed her, and then how she kissed him back.After, when he brought her up to her room, he acted like an animal; he couldn't control himself.Then the way she had acted after, it was like a dream come true. _I wonder when I'll have enough courage to tell her how I feel?_

He went down to the kitchen and grabbed some food and he went to Hitomi's room, he knocked, but there wasn't an answer, _she still must be sleeping._He thought happily.He carefully opened the door; he almost dropped the food when he saw what was there.The room was clean, the bed was made and there was a note on the bed, he picked it up, but he couldn't read it, because it wasn't in Gaian._No she can't be gone again; she was taken from me again.As soon as I get her back, she's caught up in something that has nothing to do with her. _Van was losing his mind; his imagination was going off again, not knowing what to do.

Van was about to call the guards and search for Hitomi when he heard somebody say something from out the window.

"READY! SET! GO!" Van rushed over to see some guards smiling and cheering as a woman was running.It was Hitomi.Van put down the food and ran outside as fast as he could.

Van entered the courtyard, the guards bowed as they saw their King come up to them.

"Good morning your Majesty.I hope we did not wake you up by cheering for the Lady Hitomi."

"No.How long has she been running?" 

"Two hours before sunrise."It was now only about an hour after sunrise.

Hitomi spotted Van and ran back to him.

"Good morning Van.How was your sleep?"She smiled.

"Very good till I came to your room and found it empty, with a note, which I assumed a ransom note. Thankfully I was wrong.What type of writing was that?"

Hitomi looked at him with a strange look."Opps, sorry I guess I never figured that our writing was different.It's Japanese, my language.I'm sorry about that, Van."She said with a guilty smile.

"Don't worry, I'm just glad that you weren't taken from me again.Are you hungry, yet?"

"I'm famished, but first I was wondering if you could do me a small favor?"

"Of course."

"I was wondering if you could time me, with the pendant that I gave you; it keeps perfect timing."

"Sure." He said with a smile, taking out the pendant from under his shirt, wondering how she knew that he still wore it.

They placed the guards some distance apart, and she ran from one guard to the other and Van counted how many times the pendant swung. 

_One, two, three, four…_ he looked at Hitomi as she ran, her face looked so different as she ran, she was concentrating very hard ignoring everyone and everything around her.

_…Nine, ten, eleven, twelve. Done!_ Van was waiting with the guard as she caught her breath.

"Hitomi?" she was panting very hard."The pendant swung twelve times." She looked up at Van after he said that, and then jumped up and hugged him.

"Van I did it!I broke my record!I've never been able to do that.I'm so happy!!!"

"That's great Hitomi! Come, let's get something to eat."

"Arigatou!" Hitomi said as she bowed to the two guards and left with Van.

"Ummm… Van where do I go to take a bath?"

"Oh… I'll have a bath brought up to your bedroom."

"Thank you, Van"

"Would you like to eat or take a bath first?"

"If you don't mind I would like to take a bath first." She said with such a simile that he couldn't resist but smile back.

"Ok."

~*~*~*~

While Hitomi took a bath, Van decided that the private garden would be a great place to eat breakfast, instead of her room.

When Hitomi was done taking a bath, she quickly got changed and then she was about to run off to find Van. 

Van in the mean time went up to her room to get her, and she found herself right in front of him.He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into him, taking in the intoxicating smell of her hair.He brought his head to hers and kissed her deeply, and she responded just the same.In the process she bit his lip, so hard that it started to bleed.Hitomi could taste the blood, so could Van, but he was too busy.She broke away, looking at Van.

"Oh God Van, what have I done?" she looked horrified at his lips.

Van chuckled. "Don't worry, I've bled worse than this before." He said trying to calm her down, but it wasn't working at all.

"I'm so sorry. Is there anything that I can do?" dabbing away the blood with her fingers. She looked so worried about hurting him that he had to laugh.

"Yes there is… you can stop talking and kiss me again." He said closing the distance between them.

Hitomi started to mumble something, but her lips were covered by Van's. Hitomi became very quiet, but still feeling bad for what she had just done.

"Are you ready?" Van asked as soon as they broke off.

She nodded her head, and took his hand as he led her to the gardens.When they got there, there was a blanket set out with food on it.Hitomi smiled, so happy that she could spend some time alone with Van. 

"Oh Van… thank you so much.Let's eat!"

They sat down, him leaning against a tree and Hitomi against him.They sat there eating and talking about their time apart.Van told her about the attacks that have been pestering the allied countries, and he also told her about the alliance. 

"Van…can you teach me to fight? If there is any danger I know I'll just be a pain to protect and I'd be in the way most of the time, so I want to learn to defend myself."

"I can protect you Hitomi, I promise.I will never let _anything_ ever happen to you. I promise.I swear as a king, a friend and upon the feelings that I have for you." Van panicked.He had to have someone to protect, or his life would have no meaning._I've always protected her; she's still here, isn't she? I won't let anything ever happen to her. _

"Van, please calm down.Thank you, but please… I really would like to learn. I don't want to be watched over like a baby all the time; I really need to be able to do this for myself more than anyone else. Its just so then you don't always have to worry about me."

Van took a deep breath.Hitomi's words brought Van back to reality and he relaxed and thought about what she was saying. _What harm could it do? I guess I can't always be there for her.I thought I would have figured that out by now, her leaving Gaia… it might just happen again. And I really don't think that I could live without her.She just means so much to me…_

"Okay I guess I agree, but women are not supposed to fight, so I don't know of any trainer that would be willing to train you.I'm sorry." He looked sad as he said that.

"I know of one." She said with a seductive smile.

"Who?" He asked curiously.

She grabbed a small piece of dessert and fed it to him, then kissed him.

"You." She said after she finished kissing him.

"Oh ya, I guess I could.When? We would have to practice a lot throughout the week, almost everyday." He said as he took the hand that fed him and licked all the dessert off her fingers.

"How about tomorrow morning? Come and get me up really early, say three hours before sunrise. But for today, I would like to be lazy. I also wouldn't mind talking to Chid and finishing that tour of Fanelia."

He smiled and fed her a bit of the dessert.

~*~*~*~

The day went by very quickly. Hitomi and Chid spoke for hours, while Van went off to a meeting about a heir and his intended marriage.

"Your Majesty, what about Lady Celena?"

"Cancel it." Van said abruptly. 

"But your majesty, you can't, you asked her. She and her family would be shamed."

"The public does not know. There would be no shamed people here. I've already decided!" Van said, becoming angrier.

"You don't know if she'll leave you again, not to mention that she's from that accursed place."Said Yuko, the lead advisor.

"How dare you!!" Van roared as he slammed his fists down on the table; the advisors didn't know what to do because Van has never raised his voice at any of the meetings before.

"Lord Van, you can't revoke your marriage with lady Celena, it might bring war upon us.We still haven't recovered from the last one.Austuria would wipe us out."

"There will be no war and no marriage.They are friends, they will understand. Is there anything else you would like to address?" Van growled, they moved their heads back and forth quickly.

"This meeting is adjourned" Van said dangerously and left the room without another word said.

_I wonder how I'm going to tell Hitomi; how mad will she be?What am I going to do?_

It was about half an hour after sunset.Van went to the dinning hall and saw that Hitomi and Chid were both eating.

"Hello Van, how was your meeting?" she asked as he sat down and started to eat.

"It went over well, I guess…" Hitomi saw that he was mad._I guess I'll find out later._

"Van, Hitomi, I am becoming very tired, I think I will head up to bed now.Good night, sleep well."

"Good night Chid" Hitomi said as she got up and kissed him on the cheek. "Sweet dreams, Chid."Hitomi looked sad as Chid walked out of the room.

"Van, you know, Chid and yourself are both alike.You are both very young but still in charge of a country, and no one to help you, to love you like a mother would, or hold you.I wish I could do more to help both of you."Hitomi looked so sad, and bizarrely pale.The paleness worried him.

Van watched her in awe, how she could be so supportive to them, so caring, although it wasn't her fault that they both didn't have a family.

She suddenly started to sway violently back and forth.Then she just fell; thankfully he was close enough to catch her.

"HITOMI!!" he caught her and picked her up and cradled her delicate body in his strong arms.She was having another vision.Her eyes were closed, and her face was contorted with pain.He brought her up to her room, and set her down on the bed."Sleep well Hitomi," he said knowing that he couldn't do anything for her while she was having a vision, other than sit by and wait.He kissed her on the forehead and brought up a chair to sit by her bedside and wait for her to wake up.

~*~*~*~

Hitomi woke up later to find herself in bed, and Van was nowhere to be seen._I had that same vision, with the crying boy, and that cat-woman.I think that I should tell Van. _

Hitomi decided to put on a nightgown.Hitomi got up and went to find Van.When she knocked on his door he wasn't there.She ventured back into her own room and looked out the balcony window and she saw a feather float down from the sky, it was his feather, she didn't know how she could tell, but she just could. She decided to go to roof to see if he was there.It took her about ten minutes to find her way up.Van was lying there; he looked as if he was asleep.She slowly walked up to him trying not to wake him.She laid down beside him, and put her head on his shoulder.

"Mmmm…Hitomi…" he moaned. He was asleep, but he still put his arms and wings around her.He hugged her tightly to try to get some warmth from her.She looked at him and noticed that he was drooling; it was sort of cute in a really weird way.She brushed the drool away and then kissed his neck, slowly moving her way up to his mouth, and stayed there for a while.She could feel him responding and he little by little started to wake up, very happily.

His arms tightened around her, he was awake now, and moving over to her to be able to kiss her better.

"Gods, please don't let this be a dream."He moaned as they parted so that they could breath.

"I'm not going to let you sleep now, so don't worry this isn't a dream."

He continued to kiss her, noticing her in her thin silky nightdress.After several minutes of kissing and holding each other, she snuggled up to him trying to stay warm, but couldn't.

Van noticed that she was cold, and he left to go inside. "Hold on I'll be right back."He spread his wings and flew over the roof.When he can back seconds later he was carrying a heavy blanket."I think that this should keep us warm.Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you.Van, I had a vision.I've already had two others exactly like it.I think that Fanilea's in danger again.I…also think…that…that you might…be in danger."Hitomi buried her head in his shoulder.Van was taken back by her vision and gathered her in his arms.

"Shhhh… it's alright, I'm not going to die.I'm right here.I'm not leaving you.I care for you too much.Shhhh, just rest, I'll keep you warm and I'll protect you.I promise you that."

"I'm afraid that this magnificent city will once again burn."She pause, it hurt both of them to bring back those memories. 

"Shhhh it's okay, nothing is going to happen.Just relax. I'm here."

She snuggled into his warmth, feeling like she was in heaven.

Neither of them spoke for a long time, they just wanted to be beside each other, and take in the cold breeze.

"Van what are you doing out here?" she asked after the long pause.

He blushed but said, "I always waited here for you, looking at the starts, waiting for you to come back to me, and I guess that it just became a habit."

"Thank you Van."

"Would you like to go back in? It's getting colder out here."

"I'd like to stay out here for a bit more, unless you want to go back… But I'm just starting to get warm."

"Oh…okay."

It wasn't long till she fell asleep in his arms; she looked so beautiful that he could take his eyes off of her.Against her wishes, he brought her back in.As he set her down in her bed, she said to him, while he eyes were still closed,

"Van, stay here with me tonight, we will keep each other warm."

Van nodded not wanting to decline her offer, he took off his sword (he still had on pants) and crawled into bed and wrapped his body and his angelic wings around her protectively.

"I can't live without you anymore, Hitomi, I need you...I want you…I love you…" but she didn't hear his confession because she was sound asleep.

(*NOTE*: I hope you like this so far. Oki Miya)


	5. Fiancee

  


Van awoke in a really playful mood; he saw that Hitomi's nightgown was open around her shoulder. He kissed her all around her shoulders and neck, trying to wake her up nicely.

Suddenly Van got a hand in his face, he looked at her, wide eye, about to ask why, when he saw that she was still sleeping.

"Ouch Hitomi, even when your asleep, you hit hard." Remebering the one time that she slapped him in the face, that was the past now.He sat up still stunted and rubbing his cheek.He saw her moving.

"So now she decides to wake up, after hitting me.WOMEN!!"

Her beautiful eyes slowly opened, looking at Van.She noticed that his hand was rubbing his cheek and he looked confused.

"What's wrong?" she asked after a couple of minutes.

"Well nothing really.I had a really great sleep, but when I awoke, I was slapped in the face."

"By whom?" she almost shouted at him, outraged.

"…" He was almost afraid to answer her.

"I'll kill the witch that did it!" she said jumping out of the bed becoming a bit too overexcited.

"Hitomi?" he said carefully.

"What Van!?!" He blushed.

"Well…I…was trying to wake you up nicely… with some kiss's… and you sort of swatted me in the face…it doesn't hurt at all…"

She sat down on the bed and started to laugh uncontrollably.

"I'm glad you find this so funny." Van said with his pride really hurt.

"Oh Van, I'm not laughing at you.I was laughing at the way I reacted. I can't believe that I said that I was going to kill whoever slapped you.What am I going to do?"She still couldn't stop laughing."I'm really sorry that I hit you Van, will you ever forgive me?"She asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"NO! I challenge you to a duel!! HA HA!!" he said with a threatening smile.

"Ok…I'll… be right… out." She said in between yawns.

~*~*~*~

They both met outside ten minutes later.Van carried swords, armor and a dummy.Hitomi walked up to Van and gave him a long hug and a quick kiss.

"Thank you… for teaching me.I know you don't want to, but thank you." She said as she kissed him on the lips much longer than her other kiss.

"Then let's get started.Ok we'll start off with some basic stretches, than I'll show you how to hold a sword and defend your self.Later we might try out some hand-to-hand combat.First… two laps around the castle." Van said with a grin.

"That's not a problem, catch me if you can." She said as she left him standing there.

They went through the stretches, after a long chase.That took about them about thirty minutes.Then they started with swords, it was really hard for her because all the swords that Van had were really heavy.He said that he would ask it his blacksmith would make her a lighter sword.She knew that she would have to work on her upper body and arm strength.

She never got a hit on Van, but she got a lot on the dummy.

After vigorously sparing for two hours, (only somewhat on Hitomi's behalf) they decide to start with some other basic hand-to-hand combat.

After about an hour of learning how to fight, she got in her best fighting position and threw a punch at Van, who only moved away, at the last second.He planted a kiss on her lips and had her hands behind her back, so that she couldn't move.

"Heyyyy.That's not fair!"

"You never know what they might try." He said.

"Ya well..." she stomped on his foot as hard as she could, "Eat that!" she yelled at him successfully.

"Now that's not fair!" he said as he held his hurt foot and sat on the ground.

"Oh really now, that's not fair?" she came up to him and stood right in front of him.

He, being very tricky, moved both of his feet right behind her knees, so with little pressure she would lose balance.She fell right on top of him."That's not fair either, Van.You cheated!!" 

"I did?Oh well, that's enough for today." He kissed her oh the nose and helped her to stand up.

"But I'm not tired or sore." She told him.

"I know, but if we keeping going, then your muscles will be very sore tomorrow."

"Okay, I'm going to have a bath, and I'll meet you for breakfast in the nook."

"Okay" _I wouldn't mind having a bath myself… or maybe a bath with her… what am I thinking?!?She would probably be disgusted at the idea.Oh well._

~*~*~*~

Since Van had a quicker bath than Hitomi - who likes to take a long bath – he was waiting at the doors of the nook, when one of his advisors came up to him.

"Majesty?Lady Celena and The Knight Caeli(*I'm not sure if that's how you spell it, sorry if I'm wrong*) are due shortly.What are your plans for your fiancée?" Van glared at him.

"Fiancée?" Van turned around, only to see Hitomi.Her face was full of confusion, anger and alarm."What does he mean Van?"

Van was about to answer her when his advisor, William, spoke up,"You will address his Majesty as Majesty, Lord or King Van, or you will face charges.And The King is engaged to the Lady Celena."

Van couldn't believe what he had just heard.Van was so furious that he shouted at his advisor. "Get out of Fanelia, if you want to live."William went pale, he saw the Kings eyes and left without another word.

"Hitomi…I…"

"I'm suddenly not feeling well" Hitomi said calmly.Too calmly, she was in shock.She turned around and ran back up the stairs and to her room.Van chased after her as fast as he could move.

"Hitomi, please wait!"

Hitomi reached her room, locked the door and fell onto the bed crying._I don't belong here anymore.The reason I came here left me… I want to go home!!_

"I want to go home!" she repeated out loud, not hearing Van calling out to her.

Meanwhile Van was pounding on the door, it was locked and he was afraid of what Hitomi might do to herself.

"Hitomi please, let me in.I'm so sorry.Let me in, please.Let me explain." _Hitomi please, I need you, I beg of you, please._

There was no answer.Van was so afraid for Hitomi's life that he broke down the door.

When the door flew open what he saw in her room scared him, so much.

A pillar of light engulfed Hitomi.

"Hitomi!!! Please don't leave me again!!!"_NO she can't leave me again this time I won't let her go!_

As he reached his hand out and took hers the light faded away.

(*NOTE* Thank you everyone for giving me great reviews!!I know this chapter is really short but I just had to leave it as a cliffhanger, so I'm sorry but I'll try to have chapter 7 ready soon. Thanks for reading this! ^_^)

outrageous 


	6. King of Hearts

# : King of hearts

*Chapter VI: king of hearts*

It was late at night when the light faded away; all Hitomi could think about is that Van had a fiancée. He lied to her; he said that he hadn't found the right person yet.He betrayed her…why?

Both Hitomi and Van were standing on the track where she left earth earlier that week.They stood there in silence, Hitomi not wanting to talk and Van could come to say anything important or that would make this better.

"Hitomi…" he kept his eyes low as he spoke to her.

She couldn't take it. She exploded at him. "Don't say anything!Don't you dare talk to me!Don't look at me, don't follow me home, and don't ever come and find me!GO HOME!! Where you belong" Each word she said hurt him more than any sword could ever do. His eyes shot up with surprise when he heard no emotion behind that usually soft caring voice.

"Please…" he pleaded.Van felt like his heart was about to stop.

Hitomi picked up her bag and walked home, not looking back at Van as she left him.Van ran up to her and grabbed her wrist.She turned around so fast, and slapped him as hard as she could in his face.Van took a step back, startled at the force of her slap.

"I said don't talk to me.I don't ever want to see you again! I hate you!" she got away from his grip and ran home crying.

~*~*~*~

She slowly entered her house, trying not to wake anyone.She saw that both of her parents had fallen asleep on the kitchen table.She carefully went up to her room, fell on the bed and stated to cry.

"Hitomi?" Hitomi looked at her door and saw that her mother was standing there.

"Sweetie, are you alright?"

"I will be…" Hitomi hid her tear stricken face from her mother, Hitomi couldn't tell her mother what was wrong.It hurt her too much.

"I'm so happy that your home.I'm always here to talk.I love you, good night Hitomi.Happy 18th birthday."

Hitomi will always remember this day for the rest of her life.

~*~*~*~

_So I'm finally here, on the mystic moon, with Hitomi; but she hates me.What have I done?_Van had tried to follow Hitomi but even he wasn't fast enough to catch her.So he unfolded his wings and flew after her.He didn't think that Hitomi saw him, while she was running away.Van was starting to get tired, but he had to keep going, he had to stay with Hitomi.Suddenly he started to fall towards the ground, because his body was too tired, so it gave out.He fell to the ground, unconscious.

~*~*~*~

"Hitomi? It's really you. You're home, I wasn't dreaming" Hitomi's mother said after she came into Hitomi's room the next morning, seeing her. "Are you okay? What happened? Are you hurt?" Her mother couldn't stop hugging and asking questions to her daughter, so happy that she was home.

Hitomi was awake, but she couldn't or wouldn't talk. She could only think, although she didn't want to. She knew that if she started to think a lot, the first thing that would come to her mind would be HIM. 

"Hitomi would you like to stay home today? I think you should; I'll go and call the school." Hitomi's mother left to go and make the call.

Hitomi got up and walked to the bathroom, and turned on the bath.After the bath was full she slowly got in and laid back.

"Why……?" she quietly said to herself.

Then it just hit her, _Van loves another, but she loved him, and now…_ she broke down and cried.She couldn't handle the thoughts of everything on Gaia and the people and…Van.She felt so weak, that it was almost too much to breath.

"Honey, are you alright? Hitomi?" her mother asked from the door.

After a while she answered, "Yes…" she didn't have enough strength to say anything else, and she just wanted to be left alone.

"I'll get some food ready for you.Don't be too long."

Hitomi rested her head, trying to get her mind clear.Suddenly she couldn't breathe, she was chocking and she couldn't stop.It wasn't from the water, she just could breathe.Since she couldn't catch her breath, she couldn't call out to her mother.She could feel her life slipping away.Just before she stopped breathing she had a vision.

She saw the little boy crying again, but this time, just before the cat- woman reached him, wings shot out from his small back.They were black as night.

~*~*~*~

Van stirred._Something's wrong with Hitomi.She's in pain. I have to find her now!_Van saw that he was in a forest, but could see buildings from afar. Van was fully rested, so her got up and sprouted his wings and her tried to use the pendant to find her. _I just have to find her…I love her too much!! _He saw the pendant swing to his right, and he flew as fast as he could. He saw a flash of a building, he guessed that it was her house. 

He saw the house in his flash, right below him.He saw a door, and he dropped right in front of it, retracted his wings and started to pound on the door.

"Hitomi!! Hitomi!!"a woman opened the door.

"Hello?"asked the woman.

"Where is Hitomi? I think that she's hurt, please I have to see her!"

The woman looked at him as if not understanding him.She said something that Van couldn't understand. _Shit!! We can't understand each other.I don't have time for this!!_ "Hitomi!! Hitomi!!!"

The woman understood her daughters name, she also saw the fear on this young man's face.

She ran up the stairs and to a door, and tried to open it but it was locked.Van was standing right behind her.He gently, but hurriedly moved the lady aside.He broke down the door, and ran inside and saw Hitomi in a bath, and she wasn't breathing. She looked like she has been there for a couple of minuets.

"Hitomi!" Van went over and picked her out of the bathtub, not caring about her nudity, much.He gently set her on the floor and a small towel and put it around her.He remembered what Millerna once said, "In time with your own heart."

He started to pump, in time with his heart.The lady standing behind him was crying. "Hitomi? Please dear, get up."

"Hitomi, please wake up! I know you hate me but I love you! I need you to live.Hitomi!!" he panicked.Van started to cry, he never thought that he would ever cry again, everybody he loved left him; his father; his mother; and his brother… and now Hitomi.He wouldn't let her died on him, he made a promise to protect her, and her planed on keeping that promise till he's dead.

Some of his tears ran down his cheek and neck, down to the pendant.It started to glow; everything around him stopped.It was like time stopped.Two figures appeared in front of him, he looked up at them.

"Mother…" he whispered in awe.

"If you love her Van, you can save her.But only if your love is true." His mother told him.

"I'll do anything, even give up my own life."

"If you want her to live happily, she'll need someone to love too." The other woman said.

That's Hitomi's grandmother, they're both here to help me save the one I love more than life itself.

"Tell me what to do." He begged.

"You will have to give up half of your heart and she will give you half of hers. To lives will become one.You will share the pain, the happiness, the blood; the life.To destinies will be combined.BUT only if you love her."

"I do love her, I always have.How…"

The two women disappeared, and time resumed.Van and Hitomi were both swallow up by a bright light, but it wasn't the light that always took Hitomi away, it was from the pendant.Van could see what was happening between the two, he felt like he was floating outside of his actual body.

A bright light came from both of their chest, the one from Van's pulsed like a heart and the one from Hitomi's was dim and it wasn't pulsing.They both looked like energist.The two lights became brighter and brighter as they got closer and closer.The light was blinding so Van closed his eyes.When he opened them he saw that he was no longer looking down upon them, but out of his own eyes.He looked at her wondering what just happened, then her eyes abruptly opened, and she gasped in a large lung-full of air._She's alive.Thank you mother._

~*~*~*~

Hitomi couldn't stop taking in air.She saw that Van was in front of her, "…go…away…" she said out of breath.

"Hitomi please listen to me… I love you and only you. I could never love another.Everyone,including the lady Celena, knew that I could only love you.Allen, Millerna, Lady Celena and myself we talked about that, the only reason why I had to have a fiancée was for Fanelia.Ever since the Great War, I've always had you on my mind, I couldn't stop thinking about you.I can't stop loving you.I only want to see you happy, and if… that means that you want to be here with your family and your friends, I understand.If you would also rather be with… another man, I can't and won't stop you.I'll be happy, as long as you're happy.

Hitomi looked into his eyes and saw that they were brimmed with tears, she had never seen Van cry before. _It is about time,_ she thought to herself.

He saw that she was fine and that he had finally told her everything. He decided to respect her earlier decision, and he started to leave.

Hitomi's mother was watching them from afar, wondering who this man was and why he had saved her daughter and now leaving.

Hitomi gathered all her strength and stood up, and called out to him in a loud whisper, which was all she could manage.

"Wait… please don't leave…I love you, Van."

Van stopped and turned around.Hitomi walked up to him, with a towel around her slim body, and she threw her weak arms his neck and collapsed.

"I love you, I love you!Please don't leave me again, Van."

Hitomi fell to her knees, and brought Van with her, she was too weak to stand.

He gathered her in his arms and carefully rocking her, repeating the same words over and over, "I love you"

As they sat there together, Hitomi's mother also started to cry. She didn't know why Hitomi was quiet all these years, and now she knew, Hitomi was in love with this man.

"I love you Hitomi, with my whole being.Please never ask me to leave you again." Van pleaded.

Hitomi laughed a breathless laugh, "Sorry Van, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave.I have to get changed." She smiled.

"I'll be right outside your door, if you need me, just call me."Hitomi realized how much he truly was in love with her.

"Hitomi what's happening?" her mother asked.

"Mom, get father and the brat in the living room, and I'll explain everything."

Her mother nodded and left, leaving Van to Hitomi.She tried to get up but she was still too weak.Van smiled and picked her up.

"Van… what happened?"

"I'll explain to you and your family once we go down stairs.Are you feeling any better?"

"I feel different, I feel like there's something new inside of me.But it feels nice." She said as se rested her head on his chest, hearing his heart beat strongly.

(*NOTE: I hope you people are enjoying this so far.::SNIFF::I know this is some-what sad but hey it turned out good.Anyways please keep the reviews coming!The more reviews I get the more I'll write! Thank you for reading this.~Kitten.~*)


	7. Plot

***Chapter VII, Plot***

Hitomi's mother went down stair's only to remember that her husband and her son were at school and at work; she went upstairs back to Hitomi's room, and saw that that boy was still standing there

Just then, Hitomi came out of her room, "Oh mom, where's Kioshi and father?"

"I forgot, but they'll be back after school and work, then we'll talk. Honey I think that you should go to sleep, you did almost die, and I want you to be well.Do you think that we should go and see a doctor? Ummm… not to be rude, but Hitomi who is this?" Her mother asked indicating Van.

"Mom, ummm… this is Van Fanel, he's from…Fanelia, ummm… it's really hard to explain, but I promise that I will tell you everything when father and Kioshi come home.I'm a bit tired and I still feel a bit weird, so I think that I might go and lay down for a bit.Ummm Van's going to come with me." Hitomi was very afraid of what type of answer she'll get from her mother.

"Hitomi may I please speak to you for a moment."

Oh no, I know that I'm in trouble now, what am I going to tell my mother…

"Hitomi is this Van Fanel, from Gaia?Is this also the one who you talk about in your dreams? I hear you sometimes calling out for a Van during the night, and when I check on you I usually see that you were crying, but you were still asleep.Is this him?"

"Yes… How did you know about Gaia mother? Did I talk about Gaia during my sleep too?"

"No.Mother, – your grandmother – told me about Gaia when I was a child. She also told me about Leon, the man she met on Gaia.She said that he told her about traveling to find the secret of Atlantis… and well, I'll tell you about that later." After a few tense seconds she asked, "Do you love him?"

She blushed beat red.Hitomi couldn't believe that her mother was asking if she loves Van, "I do. Once again I will tell you about him later, but I'm tired now, so would you mind if he…ummm slept in… my room?"

"If you're JUST going to sleep, NOT anything ELSE, RIGHT? I guess I can't stop you"

"MOTHER!!!" Hitomi said with a harsh whisper, she could believe what her mother was implying; she was shocked. "I'm too tired to do anything like that. I'm ONLY GOING TO SLEEP!" Hitomi went so red.

"Gesh! Don't yell at your mother, you're still my daughter! I worry about you.Go to bed now, I'll wake you when your father and brother come home.I love you, good night."

"Good night mother." Hitomi walked back to her room and pulled Van in after her.

"Hitomi, your mothers right around the corner, she'll get mad… And you need your sleep!"

"Don't worry she knows about Gaia…and I'm too tired to explain, I just want to go to sleep.Mom said you can come with me, don't worry so much, Anyways I said that we're just going to go to sleep, not anything else."

Van looked so innocent, "Like what? What do you mean Hitomi?"

"Ah so innocent, I promise that I'll show you another day."Van still didn't get it. 

Then it hit him, "Oh you mean… HITOMI!!" Van went a red that was so deep; that Hitomi didn't think that shade of red had been found yet.She laughed at him, which only made a deeper red.

~*~*~*~

(ON GAIA)

Once again Merle was shouting at the guard, "WERE IS HE?!?!"

"Lady Merle, he vanished from the castle yesterday morning, he and the Lady Hitomi, are missing, they are no where to be found."

"THIS IS HOPELESS!!! Where is Prince Chid? And are there any other guest here?"

"He is in the Library with Queen Millerna and King Dryden, they arrived yesterday after the King left."

"Thank you." Merle ran off the see her old friends. When she reached the Library she was so happy to see them all that she ran up to them and shouted at them, "Hi!!!"

Everyone looked at Merle, and looked around for Van, since she was always around her.

"Hello Merle.Where is Van?" Allen asked. "Is it true? Did she come back?" he asked somewhat nervously.

"Ummm you see the really stupid guards sort of can't find him, but I can take a guess where he is right now, since he and Hitomi are missing.They might be back at the Mystic Moon.I heard that there was a rumor that she found out that he was engaged to Lady Celena, but I don't think that she took it well.I'm sorry to have told you that, Lady Celena… it's just that…" Merle looked carefully at Lady Celena.

"You don't have to make excuses for him, I know their history.It has become a story of romance and war.So I know about the way he feels about Hitomi Kanzaki, everyone does." She said with a bright smile.

"Yes, everyone except him, men are so blind." Celena laughed, and she nodded in agreement.

"I think that we will be good friends, you and I Merle."

"So do you know when he'll be back? Does he plan to cancel the marriage between Lady Celena and himself? …So do you know why she came back to Gaia, because the last time she came war broke out, and I want to know if Gaia is in trouble again." Allen asked, looking very odd. Scared almost.

"Please don't ask me, I don't want to start a war or anything because he likes Hitomi.But we all know that he loves Hitomi and she loves him, and I… don't know, we'll have to wait... Anyways I don't know why she came back, she might have just come back for Van, hopefully."

~*~*~*~

(OTHER PLACES ON GAIA)

"Sir, all is ready sir. We await your command." A guard said while bowing very deeply.

"Good.We will have revenge on those dame alliance fools. Prepare invasion on Fried.Without the duke there, we shall take over quickly. One by one we will rule each country.Take no prisoners; kill everyone!"

"Sir the dragons are ready."

"Let them start then we will preceded. Dismissed "

"Yes sir!" the other guard saluted then left.

As the guard left the room, he could hear his captain laughing in the background. Everyone thought that the captain was totally crazy but everyone was too afraid of him to just ignore him. Just as he shut the door to the central discussion room, he heard the captain talking to himself.

"Yes, burn everything, all will burn."

~*~*~*~

The dragons attacked Fried, with such force that no one would stand up to the dragons because they knew that if they tried, they would die.

The dragons burned everything; killing everyone, no one survived to send a message to the Duke. Fried and the surrounding around became a blanket of ashes.No one knew why the dragons were attacking them; people didn't even know that dragons lived in that area.

Fried and her people were wiped out that day.

(*A/N: Well I'm really sorry that this took so long to get out, it's just that I've been really sick. I couldn't think of any name for this chapter soo…(?) I know it really sucks, but oh well.Anyways please review, and I hope that you are enjoying my lil fic. If you people also want to give me flames, I don't really mind.(much) Thanks for reading^_^*)


	8. Answers

***Chapter VIII, Answers***

Van was woken up because Hitomi was tossing and turning throughout her sleep. He guessed that she was having a bad dream.

"Hitomi…? Wake up." Van said as he gently shook her to try to wake her up.

"Noooo…NOOOOOOO!!! Ah Van!!" Hitomi said as she was finally awake.She looked so tired, and she had huge bags under her eyes."I had such a terrible dream, Van. Fried burned down, but gumelif's didn't do it…it was dragons."

"Its ok, it was just a dream. Don't..." Van said to try to calm her down, but it wasn't working.

"No! It wasn't just some dream; I think that it was a vision.Oh Van I don't know what to do. I can't let it happen" Hitomi start to cry.Van had gathered her in his arms and started to rock her back and forth, trying to make her fall asleep.

"Shhhh, don't worry. Go to sleep and we'll talk about it later." 

"But…I can't let… that …happen…" she had finally drifted off to sleep because she was so tired. Van let her sleep in his arms, quietly comforting her.

~*~*~*~

"Mmmm…" Hitomi moaned as she woke up again later that day.As she lay in her bed, looking up at the ceiling, she thought to herself _I can't believe that he loves me…_ Looking at Van, his eyes were shut. _He look's so peaceful. _

"Of course I love you, why wouldn't I?" Van had opened his eyes, to look at Hitomi.

"I'm glad that you do…wait… I didn't say that out loud." It really scared her, _could her read my thoughts? I wonder if I can read his…_she thought

_All you have to do is reach out to my mind._Van hadn't opened his mouth, but she still 'heard' him. 

"Ok stop it, I'm going to get very confused if we keep doing that.Can you tell me what's going on?"

"How would you like me to tell you… long way or short way?"

"Short for now, then long when the family gets together."

"You died. I guess I had a vision, because I saw your parents and they said that I could save you by giving you half of my heart. So I did, and I got half of yours.So they said that we would share everything…so I guessed that we're linked heart, mind and soul. I'm guessing that we're going to be finding out a lot more about each other and what we can do.But… I think you might have gotten something else from me too…" he looked away from Hitomi.

"What?"

"…Wings…" Van had the saddest look upon his face.The last thing that he wanted was for Hitomi to suffer more than she already has.

Hitomi on the other hand had the largest smile; she was so happy that she would be able to fly with Van.

"Van, please… I'm so happy that I could have wings, please be happy.When your sad, I'll be sad and I really want to be happy, be happy with me."

"I'm sorry Hitomi, I just don't want you to suffer.I love you too much."

"Oh no… Van… if I got your wings…I wonder if you will get visions too.I hope not, there so horrible."Now Hitomi looked sad.Van gathered her in his arms, "Shhhh, don't worry, we'll both be fine.

They both heard a noise, as they turned around they saw Hitomi's little brother.

"Don't we look cozy, maybe I should tell mother and father that there's a boy in your bed, I wonder how long you'll be grounded."

"Go away you little pest, who said that you could come into my room in the first place? GET OUT!!!" Hitomi threw a pillow at her brother while he was closing the door.

"Is that your brother?"

"Yes, I really hate it when he just come in here with out my permission.He's usually nice, for a brother." Hitomi knew she had to word that carefully because she didn't want to hurt his feelings.

_It's okay, I miss him, but I'm ok.I have you now. _Van 'said' to her.

"STOP THAT!!!!"She said in a joking way.

"OK, ok, no yelling at me allowed.I guess we should go down stairs and start explaining. Are you feeling any better?"

"Much!" she said cheerfully."But if I stay in this bed any longer, I don't know what I'll do. Let's go, I'll introduce you to the rest of my family."

Hitomi lead Van downstairs and into the living room, her father was sitting reading the newspaper.Her brother was playing a game on the TV and her mother was cooking in the kitchen.

"Hi dad how was work?"

"Work was fine.You have some explaining to do." He said in a grumpy voice.

Hitomi knew that this was the way her father showed that he cared for her, and that he was worried about her.He was probably also wondering whom Van was.

Van was about to jump in for her defense, but Hitomi got to him first,

_'Don't say anything. This is how he shows that he cares.He'll cool off soon, I just have to explain to him where I was and what your doing here.I'm going to have to tell them the whole story…everything… is that ok?'_

_'It's fine with me, also long as he doesn't stay mad at you.'_

_'Don't worry.'_

"Mother? I'm going to explain everything now, would you like to hear too?"

"I'll be right in."

Her mother came in a few minuets later. Her father kept the newspaper up so that Hitomi couldn't see his face; she knew that he was mad at her.Kioshi turned off the TV and was still sitting on the floor. Hitomi and Van took the couch and her mother took another chair in the room.

Hitomi started off, telling them about when she was 15, and herself and Amono.Brining up old memories was hard for Van and Hitomi, but her parents deserved an explication.Hitomi left out a couple parts; mainly the fateful day, when she kissed Allen, and Van's wings; but the story had only begun.

Kioshi sat there amazed, although still thinking that his older sister was crazy; her mother cried through some parts and she asked a lot of questions.Her father on the other hand hadn't said a word since the beginning, occasionally he would ruffle the newspaper, but otherwise not a sound.

After three hours of story telling, their story was told. The events of the day had yet to be explained, but the arguing had begun.

Hitomi wasn't physically tired but she was mentally tired.Van hated seeing her like this but what could he do._Hitomi… would you like me to continue? I can if you want me too._

_'Thank you Van, but it's ok, it'll be over soon. We still have to eat'._

_'It's ok Hitomi, I'll go elsewhere to eat and sleep, if it's too much trouble.'_

_'VAN!!! You will be staying here! Don't worry!Now we should really stop talking like this, my family is looking at me really funny. Don't worry.'_

"Hitomi…is something wrong?"

"No, nothings wrong, I was umm… just thinking sort of…it's one of those really hard to explain things."

"Please tell us Hitomi." Her mother said.

"Well do remember what happened today, when I was in the bathroom? Well… umm Van you better explain this, I wasn't really alive to see what was happening." When Hitomi said that, that caught her father's attention, he looked really worried.

"Hitomi had stopped breathing – I'm not sure why although – and I tried to get her heart to start to beat again, and it wouldn't.My mother and Hitomi's grandmother came before me and told me that I could save Hitomi by giving her half of my heart.It was the only way that I could have saved her, so I did.I can't really remember what happened, but we were both engulfed in a bright light and lights came form our chests and they traded spots, I guess.Anyways after that all I remember is that Hitomi started to breathe again."

"You spin a fine tale, but I'm sorry but I can't believe that. That story is just too obscure to believe in." Hitomi's father finally spoke up.

"But father, why won't you believe in me, I promise you that it's all true."

"Hitomi, I'm a scientist, I only believe in what I see, if you can show me proof I will believe in you."

"Father…" Hitomi complained.

_'I think that I should show them.Your father asks for some proof, I have to show him.Please… let me.'_

_'Only if your are really ok with it, I won't stop you.'_

"Sir, I do have some proof, but it's really…startling, but it you need proof, it's the only evidence that I have."

Van stood and took off his shirt, and slowly let his wings unfurl. He heard gasps and intakes of breath from everyone. 

Hitomi saw that he hung his head in shame.She stood up and hugged him,

"Thank you.I know you don't like your wings, but they are so beautiful.I love you."

"He … has…wings?" her mother stammered.

"It's got to be a trick or something," her brother said.

Her father gathered his thoughts and then asked, "So does my daughter have wings also, since you said that you gave her half of your heart?"

"I think so.I'm sorry sir if that upsets you, but I would do anything to save Hitomi."

"She already had them." Her mother said.

"What??" Hitomi looked at her mother uncertainly, letting go of Van.

"Your grandmother was a full Atlantian's, which makes you an part Atlantian. With half of Van's heart, you are now more than what you originally were."

"So I always was one."

"Well sort of… I never acquired wings or the sight ability or anything else for that matter.So I'm not sure how you got visions, I'm sorry I'm not a better help of information, dear."

"It's ok…" Hitomi said only to calm her mother, because her mind was on other things.

_'Van…I think we should try to get back to Gaia now.The vision I had…I can't let Fried burn!' _Hitomi thought to Van.

_'It's ok… if you want we, could stay here a couple of days.I'll try to get a message to somebody, most likely Allen or Merle.Please don't worry.I think you should spend some time with your parents.'_

_'Van…!' _Hitomi started to complain.

Van had put his shirt back on after retracting his wings. 

"Van do you have a place to stay?" Hitomi's mother asked.

"Ummm…not really."

"Then you can stay here, it's no problem.You can sleep in the spare room.I'll go and get it ready."

~*~*~*~

After the long talk with the family, not another word was said about it. They eat quietly, all thinking deeply.

After supper Hitomi and Van cleaned up the dishes and decoded to go for a walk.

"Mom, Van and I are going to go for a walk, we shouldn't be too long. Okay...bye!"

Hitomi grabbed Van's hand and dragged him out the door, thank fully it was a warm night.

"What was that all about?"

"I just thought that I could show you around…give you the layout of here and the rules.First of all there are no dragons, animal people, gumelif's, swords or and fighting of any sort.So you'll have to keep your temper cool. If somebody insults you, ignore it, remember, here you are NOT a king, so you can't command anyone to do anything.If you have any questions, just ask…oh no!!! I sound like a teacher…"

Van had kept his mouth shut while she spoke, '_No wonder why the people here are so strange! They're all…'_

_'If you think that I can't 'hear' you, think again! Don't go and call my homeland people strange!If your wondering, I thought your people were really strange, especially Merle!'_

_ _

_ _

_ _

(*A/N: Ok…the last part in the last chapter (VII, Plot) was Hitomi's vision.I just thought that's a bit unclear so I thought I would clear it up. Anyways I hope that you people are enjoying my fic! Please review! Thank you for all the reviews so far! They're great!! Bye ^_^*)


	9. Doran

*Chapter IX, Doran*

As Van and Hitomi were walking down a street, hand in hand, Hitomi thought of something."Van, how are we going to get a message to our friends on Gaia without going there ourselves?"

"I…umm was sort of hoping that you might be able to think of something…"

"Oh great! I…ummm…think that we might be able to get a message to Merle, because we're both close to her, especially you. Do you have anything of hers? That might help us concentrate on her a bit more…"

"I'm afraid that I don't have anything of hers."

"Ok… well I guess we have nothing to lose. Give me your other hand. Picture her in your head; those long pointy ears; that tail…that annoying high pitch squeal, …" Hitomi said under her breathe.

"Hun?" Van asked wondering what she said last.

"Never mind, think…"

They both stood, both holding each other's hands, thinking about Merle.

_'Merle? Are you there?' _Van called out.

~*~*~*~

_'Merle? Are you there?'_

Merle jumped, startled."Van?" _I swear that I could hear him… _She looked around and only saw Millerna sitting in a chair.

"What's wrong Merle?"

"Oh nothing…I just thought that I heard Master Van's voice…"

# 'Merle please listen.I have to tell you something really important'

"What!!!" Merle's tail was puffed out; her ears were laid back and her claws out. 

Just then Dryden walked into the room; he saw that Merle was going crazy; she looked as if she was looking around the room for something.

"What's wrong Merle?" Dryden asked.

Before she could answer, Millerna chirped in. "Don't worry, she'll only hear voices in her head.She just is overreacting."

"I am not!"

# 'MERLE!!! Please listen! I don't know how long I'll be able to do this!Warn Chid! I think that a new enemy is going to attack Fried!I saw it in a vision! Fried will burn; I won't let that happen! Please warn him!Van's here with me on the Mystic Moon, I'm not sure when we'll be back, but don't worry.Please, prepare for war!'Hitomi was almost 'shouting' at merle trying to make sure that she'll do everything.

_'Oh merle, make sure that none of my advisors will be in charge of anything.Get Allen to ready the gumelif's and the soldiers.'_

"Ok I promise that I'll do that, please come home soon Master Van.Hitomi too."

Millerna and Dryden looked at Merle as if she's going crazy.

"Merle do you need to see a doctor?"

Merle ignoring their question, she asked, "Where's Allen?" 

"I think he's talking with some of the guards. What wrong?"

"Get Chid and some of Van's and your own most trusted advisors. I'll be right back."

Merle ran out of the room as fast as she could, shouting for Allen."ALLEN!!! WHERE ARE YOU? BLONDY!!!"

Merle spotted him and Chid talking to a guard.

"Allen I need to speak to you and Chid now! Come with me, no time to wait! Come on!"

She dragged them to the others and explained everything. After she explained as much as she could everyone went about arguing and thinking about what might happen.

_'So he's there with her on the moon; he better keep her safe…'_ Allen thought to himself.

~*~*~*~

"I think it worked!!!" Van said cheerfully. Then he blushed at his enthusiasm.

"Yes…" Hitomi had used all of her energy to reach Merle.

Van saw Hitomi swaying back and forth.He put his arms around her waist holding her up.

"Are you ok?" He asked, worrying about her.

She leaned into him; letting her head, rest on his shoulder. "I'm just a bit tired from talking to Merle, I'll be okay in a minute."

"Let's go back to your to your house, we can talk in the morning."

"…::yawns::…Ok…::yawns::…" She stated to walk back to her house, when she was suddenly picked up from behind.

"Let me do the honors of bringing you home." 

"Ok" she was too tired to protest.

She looked into his burgundy eyes, and she felt like she could see into his soul. She saw the love and devotion in his eyes.

"I love you too." She said as she drifted into a deep sleep.

When they got home she was in an even deeper sleep.He went up to her room and put her under the covers.As she pulled them up tighter around her body, unconsciously he watched her for a few moments, and then left to his designated room.He fell asleep instantly as his head gently hit the pillow, dreaming of Hitomi.

~*~*~*~

(ON GAIA)

In a distant village a boy was crying out for his mother,"Mamma? Mamma? Where are you?" The boy was calling.

~*~*~*~

(FLASHBACK)

He was sitting eating his dinner when one of his father's old friends rushed into the house.

"We have to get out of here now Akina!Raiders have come to the village, and they said that they would set the village on fire! Take your son to the northern gate and grab anything of value and get out of here!"

Doran sat at the table wondering why his mother was crying and running around the house taking their most precious things.

"Mamma, what's goin' on? Why did papa's old friends come here?" Without an explication, Akina grabbed her son's hand and pulled her son out of the chair and out of the house.Doran followed quickly behind his mother only to stop when she heard people coming towards them.

"Shhhh… honey, don't say a word." She said as they quietly moved into a dark alley."Doran, stay here, don't say a word and don't move, can you do that for mamma?" She said as she hid him under an old crate in the shadow of a tall building in the alley.He nodded."Please stay here. Promise me honey." 

"I promise mamma.Where are you goin' mamma?Are you gonna leave me? Please don't leave me mamma, I'm scared."

"I have to go.Stay here." She took off a necklace that has always hung around her neck, and she put it over his."Keep this for mamma.Don't ever take it off.I have to go now; I'll be back soon. Remember, don't say anything and don't move.I love you. I know that your father would too. Good bye."Doran saw that his mother was crying, she hugged him then left.

Doran sat under the crate for a long time, wondering when or if his mother will be back.Whimpering quietly trying not to make a noise, he promised his mother that he wouldn't make any noises.He became very upset when he heard screaming from people he knew, but he promised that he wouldn't move.He was terrified when he saw that the buildings around him went up in flames.He promised his mother that he wouldn't say anything. He almost died when he saw his village burn down before his very eyes.He promised himself that he would have revenge.

~*~*~*~

"Mamma?I don't feel like playing hide now, please come out…Mamma?" he walked to his home that was now only a pile of ashes.

"Mamma?" he called out as he heard a noise behind him.He turned around to see a cat-woman standing behind him.

"Are you lost?Are you looking for someone?"

"Yes.Have you seen my mamma? She's sowed things for people.Have you seen her?"

"The people of this village all died today.Did you live here?"

"Yah, what does died mean?"

"How old are you? What is your name?"

"I'm Doran and I'm four.Who are you?"

"I'm Anana.If you want I'll help you look for your mother."

"Ok"

Anana and Doran searched for his mother all day. Anana was afraid to tell the child what to die means.She thought about bringing him to an orphanage, if they couldn't find his mother; she thought that was the best thing to do.

"Doran, do you have a father?"

"Yah, but he had to work for a very long time, I haven't seen him since I was two.I don't remember him very well.The only thing I remember was he had…" he looked down remembering what his mother said.

"What?"

"Mamma made me promise not to tell, I'm sowy. (*Sorry*)"

"That's ok.Do you have any relatives? And uncle or aunts?"

"Nope, just me an' mamma."Do you have any welative? (*Relatives*)

"I had a husband but he's gone now.I also have a daughter but I haven't been able to find her in a long time, so I guess I'm also missing my family."

"Miss Anana, can you now tell me what 'died' means? 'Cause I want to know what happened to my village."

"Do you know that time before you were born? The people that have died go back to that time. They come back in a different body, but the same soul."Anana felt so bad that she had to tell the boy this instead of his mother. 

"So did my mamma died? Did all the people died?Did your husband died?"

"I'm not sure if your mother died, or if the people in the village died.I'm not really sure if my husband did died too." She said the last part very quietly.

She saw that the boy wasn't crying; he looked almost happy.

"Why aren't you sad Doran, why aren't you crying?"

"I don't know how."

~*~*~*~

After the arguing had finished, Allen and Chid had the same look on their face: a look of worry.The other looked more or less the same but not as worried.

"I have to go back to my people now.I'm sorry.Merle please thank Van ad Hitomi for the warning. I will see them another day.Good bye everyone, it was nice to see you again."

"I'm coming with you." Allen said.They all looked at Allen, curiously.Millerna knew that he was going to protect his son.

"I will send some reinforcements to Fried to help with the battle.Don't Worry Chid everything will be fine.Hitomi and Van will also be there to help soon." Millerna said to try to calm the young man."

"Thank you aunt Millerna."

"Chid I'll also try to send some guards and gumelif's, with you too.I wonder why people would attack Fried; it's always been so peaceful.I wonder if there will be any other attacks…"

"The main thing I'm wondering about is who would be attacking Fried, and breaking the alliance.We never counted anyone out of the alliance, including Zaibach."

"Maybe it's for revenge from Zaibach.We know that they hate everything about Gaia, except themselves." Merle said unconsciously.

"Thank you for your hospitality Merle, but I must be going" Chid said.Merle could hear the urgency in his voice.

_Poor Chid, he's too young to have to deal with all this.His country might be in war right now.He would blame himself for letting his country down.That's too much responsibility for him.I don't think he will ever be allowed a childhood. He's just so young._ Merle thought to herself.

Chid bowed regally then he left, Allen was close behind him.

"Good luck Chid, Allen, may the gods of good fortune be with you." Millerna said as they left.

~*~*~*~

'RING! RING! RING!'

"Hello?" Hitomi said drowsy after she picked up the phone.

"Hitomi? You're home? It's really you! Where have you been? Amono and I have been so worried about you!"

"Please stop yelling in my ear Yukari! It's too early to be yelling."

"I'm coming over right now, and by the time I get there you better have a good explication why you were missing!"

"No wait, don't come here. I need to exercise so I'll meet you at the school's track.I have someone who would like to meet you.I'll be there in an hour."

"I'll also be brining someone; I'll be brining Amono.Talk to you in an hour, bye!"

"Bye" Hitomi hung up the phone, and got out of bed.

She went into the guest room, and saw that the bed was made and Van wasn't there. _I guess he's already down stairs._

As she walked into the kitchen she saw that only her mother was there.

"Good morning Hitomi.How was your sleep?"

"Good.Where is everyone?"

"Kioshi went out with his friends and your father also went out with some of his friends."

"Where is…."

"He's out in the back yard, playing with a sword.You had better go and tell him to put that thing away before he pokes someone's eye out!"

"He's not going to hurt anyone; he has been training since he was four years old, mom.I really don't think that he's about to poke somebody's eye out.What's for breakfast?"

"The traditional Japanese breakfast; rice, miso soup, grilled salmon, pickles, raw egg, laver, and spinach.I hope that he'll like it."

"I hope so too.I'll go and get him"

Hitomi opened the screen doors and saw that Van was practicing in the large garden.Hitomi noticed that he has gotten much better at swords. He didn't even turn around when Hitomi came up to him.He slid his sword once more through the air, and then lowered it.

Hitomi wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned into his back.

"How was your sleep?Was the bed comfortable?"

"Everything was fine.How was your sleep?"

"It was okay… But I had the weirdest dream that you came into my room and stood there watching me."

"That's because I did. I hope that doesn't bother you.Does it?" He asked somewhat sheepishly.

"No, of course not.Was there something that you wanted to talk to me about?Is anything bothering you?"

"No, I just felt like it was my duty and pleasure to watch you sleep."

"Oh." Hitomi couldn't think of anything better to say. "Breakfast is almost ready, then we're off to see two of my friends, you may remember them.They were there both of the times you came and got me."

"Okay. What's for breakfast?"

"It's nothing like Fanelia has for breakfast.It's going to be an interesting morning. Come on we don't have much time before we have to meet Amono and Yukari, I said that I would meet them at the track at 8:00am and it's 7:30!I still have to have a shower and eat! Come on! Got to go!"

Van was pleased at her eagerness to show him off to her friends.

They ran inside and Hitomi jumped into the shower, and got changed all in less then ten minutes.Van took a little longer because he wasn't used to the way the water works.

As they sat down at the table Hitomi handed Van a pair of chopsticks. He looked curiously at them.

"What are these?"

"Those are called chopsticks you pick up your food with them.Good luck!" Hitomi said teasingly.

Usually eating a meal at her house was quiet, but today Hitomi and her mother couldn't stop laughing at Van. He must have gotten food everywhere.

"What do you find so funny?" Van looked at Hitomi and grumbled."I think that we should introduce these to my court at an evening meal.I want to see my advisors squirm. I think that would be funny!"

(*A/N: Just to clear something's up…Doran is very young, so he can't pronounce everything properly yet, so I put what is really supposed to be said in brackets.Anyways I hope everyone is likes my fic so far, don't worry there's still more to come.Keep all the GREAT reviews coming!And thank you so far for the wonderful reviews. You are all to kind to me. Chapter ten will hopefully be out soon! Thank you once again! BYE!)


	10. Decision's

(*A/N: Everything in _italic_ _Pink_is when someone is thinking to HIMSELF OR HERSELF.When something is in _italic_ _Blue,_ then it's people talking to each other through their thoughts.I just thought that I would change that because it was becoming very confusing. Enjoy^_^*)

**_*Chapter X, Decision's*_**

(ON GAIA)

As Doran and Anana walked through the ruble of the burnt village, they noticed that not one building was left standing.Anana was thinking to herself, _I wonder how he survived and not one of the other villagers did.Why was this village burnt down? I heard that there were raiders, but they have never set a village on fire before. It just doesn't sound right.Doran walked away from this without a scratch on him.The scariest thing of all is that he said he didn't know how to cry.All people know how to cry, it isn't something you learn, it just happens.___

"Miss Anana, I'm hungry. I'm cold too.Can we go back to your house and sleep and eat and get warm?" Doran asked, drawing her attention.

"I don't have a house anymore.But I could find some food for us and I could make a fire, and then we could sleep, outside in the warm night.Is that ok?"

"I guess.I miss my mamma." He said as he held her hand.

Trying to comfort the young boy, she spoke quietly to him and hugged him."It's okay.Shhhh, don't worry it'll all be ok in the end.I was heading of to Fanelia, would you like to come there with me?I would really like it if you would come with me."

"Okay.I guess I don't really have any other place to go.Why do you want to go there?"

"Because I heard that there are many people of my kind there, the king is very generous to them.It's said that his mother adopted a cat girl, with the king was a boy.I planed to start looking for my daughter there."

For some reason Anana felt so protective over this abandoned child, she could leave him behind to forge his own way, like so many of her kind have been forced to do.

"Off to Fanelia, the 'Great City', as mamma always called it."

"Yes, and to find new lives for both of us."

~*~*~*~

(ON EARTH)

When Hitomi and Van got to her school, Hitomi saw that Amono and Yukari were already waiting.

"Is it ever possible for you to be on time for once in you life?!?" Yukari asked angrily.

"Yes it's possible, just not today."

"Sooooo……"

"Sooooo………..What? You're the one who wanted to talk to me."

"Who's the guy, all mighty brainless one?"

"This is Van, the one who I spoke about, but you never believed me!Well now I have proof that he's not just some fairy-tale."Hitomi had told her two friends, but not her parents about her adventure on Gaia.

"Ya right, like I'm supposed to believe that this guy is a king of a country?Not to mention you and him save another world from all destruction?Seriously Hitomi I hoped you had given up on that tale."

Had Hitomi not restrained Van he would have hurt Yukari."I will not let her talk about you that way!" Hitomi opened her mind to Van.

'_Van please calm down, she's only half playing. But she does have a small but legitimate right to be mad, I was missing, again, for a week.Please, I told you life here is very different, please calm down.'_

_'Fine.'_Van had not seemed happy, but did as Hitomi told him to do.

"Hitomi, really, where were you?" Amono spoke up for the first time.

"I really was on a different planet.I was on Gaia.I don't feel like explaining it all over again.Please just believe me."

"It's entirely true. I come from Gaia, and well, I'm here to be with Hitomi." Van said trying to make Hitomi's friends believe her.

After Yukari had settled down a bit she apologized."Hitomi, I'm really sorry about my anger, I was just so worried about you, I thought you might have been kidnapped or something. I'm sorry, please forgive me."

"Of course, how could I stay mad at my best friend?Don't worry about it.Lets go for a walk down by the waters edge, it's very beautiful there."

Hitomi, Van, Amono and Yukari all went for a walk down by the water.Hitomi was really happy to see her best friends walking hand in hand, she was also really glad that Yukari finally had the nerve to ask Amono out, although it took her just about a year.He said yes instantly.Hitomi was really happy for the both of them.They have become better friends and the best of lovers.She suddenly wondered about what would happen to herself and Van.Would they be together forever? Or would they live on their own worlds, in an unhappy life.She would do anything to be with Van… but to leave her world, the only world she really knew?

"Hitomi are you okay?What are you thinking about?" Yukari asked.

"Nothing really, just thinking about life.So what happened during my disappearance?Anything new?"

"Nothing really. Other than your departure, life has been boring.What happened to you while you where on Gaia?"They just kept making small talk, everyone knowing what might happen. Amono, being one of Hitomi's best friends asked the question before anymore pointless talk.

"Hitomi, do you plan to stay there, if and when you go back?"

Van had almost stop breathing.He couldn't believe that he hadn't even thought of that himself.What would be her answer, he thought.He dreaded her forthcoming answer._Will she stay with me, forever?_

Hitomi didn't stop walking, because she knew that if she saw the expression on Van's face she would have broken down in tears.

"I…I…" Hitomi couldn't seem to answer."I… Ahhh!!"Hitomi suddenly dropped.She was having another vision. Van was at her side before she could drop all the way to the ground.

_Great now I'll never know the answer. _Van thought to himself.

"What's wrong with her?"Yukari asked frightened for her best friend.

"Don't worry, she does this all the time.She's just having a vision.She should be fine within an hour or so. I think I should bring her back to her house.Ummm… could you tell me how to get there?"

"We'll come with you.Let's hurry."

Van picked up Hitomi and cradled her in his arms.

~*~*~*~

(Hitomi's vision)

Hitomi found herself in standing in the middle of Fanelia's market place. Everything looked just like it did a couple of days ago when she visited it with Van. Everything was going as usual, people running about buying and selling things to make a living.It was always nice to see Fanelia. She turned around only to see the same two people she's seen in her other visions, a boy and an older looking Merle.Hitomi saw that the two people were suddenly swallowed up in a pool of flames, she screamed to try to warn them but they couldn't hear a word she was saying.

"No, this can't be happening, not again.How can I save them? Why do I keep seeing the same thing over and over?" Hitomi fell to her knees; feeling like it was her fault for the fire.Through the flames she could see the little boy being hugged by the cat-woman.The cat-woman was crying, she was so afraid for her life and the boy's.The boy, on the other hand, only looked like he was crying, but he was just standing there, holding onto the woman. Abruptly wings grew from the boy's back, and he tried to fly away from the blaze.He was still really young and too weak to support her weight.

Hitomi noticed that the boy's wings were black. "I remember when Folken's, wings were black…and he said that that signified his approaching death.Is this little boy going to die? He's so young, what or who would want to kill an innocent boy?I have to save that little boy! That can't happen!I think that this boy is very important. I don't know why, but I just can't let this happen! No…NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"

~*~*~*~

"NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" Hitomi shouted very loudly. She abruptly sat up, sweat on her face. 

"What's wrong Hitomi? Are you ok?"Yukari was the only one in the room.After she shouted, Van and Amono came rushing into the room, wondering who was screaming.

_'What's wrong? Are you ok?What did you see?' _Van asked. He didn't feeling like saying it out loud.He didn't think that Yukari and Amono should get involved in a fight that they don't belong in.

_'I'm fine I just saw the same vision as all the other times, but only this time in more detail. I promise that I'll tell you more about it later.I don't want them to know.I'm really worried about Yukari, I think that she thinks that she never see me again.'_

_'Oh, okay. I'll leave you and her alone for awhile, if you want.'I guess she won't be staying with me, if she's worried about Yukari missing her._

_'Thank you Van.I love you.' Oh, the guilt. _Van thought to himself.

"I'm okay Yukari, I'll be fine.I just had a bad dream, nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure? Is there anything I can get you? A drink?I'll go and get you one."

"No, it's okay Yukari, I'll get her one, just stay here with her." Van said surprising everyone.Yukari thought that Van would ever leave Hitomi's side.Van left and Amono followed closely behind, to finish their talk about each of their worlds.

"Hitomi… are you sure that your alright?"

"Yes I'm fine! Now please stop asking!I'm really fine, this used to happen a lot. So how are you and Amono?"

"We're fine. I finally told him that I love him the other day; he said it back. It was the happiest moment in my life.I can't believe that he loves me; I had always thought that he loved you, not me.We'll be going out on our three month anniversary date next Thursday, you have to help me chose what to wear!"

"Don't worry! He loves you for who you are not what.So everything's alright between you two?"

"Yes of course. Should there be anything wrong?"

"No! Of curse not, I'm just really happy that you're so happy. You're my best friend and I want the best for you!"

"You love him don't you?"

"WHAT?!?! Amono?"

"No, stupid, Van.I know that you do."

"Yes, I always have loved him, from almost 3 years ago I have loved him.I'm just now really confused, I don't know what to do about him."

"What do you mean?You love him and he loves you, so why not go out?"

"It's different.We both live on two different worlds.Also our rules are very different; on his world you only would court someone who you plan to marry.Not only that but he's a KING! I would be only known as a commoner, nothing in comparison.I really want to be with him forever, but… I know we can't be together.It's impossible.I love him so much… I know that I can't live without him.I can't go on living in denial, if I do choose to stay here. I'll die if he leaves me. I…" she started to really whine. 

Yukari lightly slapped Hitomi in the face. Yukari was slightly afraid of Hitomi rambling like that, about her dieing."Hitomi! Snap out of it! You're not going to die! The only advice that I could give you is for you to follow your heart.I'll be happy with any decision that you make, just make the right one!I'm going home now, mothers going to be worried.I'll call you later when you've got more sense. I'm sorry that I slapped you, but you started to trouble yourself more than necessary."

Yukari left with out another word. _Maybe she's right, I'm making too big of a deal of it.Things will be fine either way. I just hope that Van will feel the same way._

Hitomi fell back onto her bed, thinking about what it would be like to stay with Van the rest of her life.

~*~*~*~

Anana could see that Doran was tossing restlessly throughout the night.She debated between herself whether or not she should wake him.She decided against it. "There's something really different about this boy.Why did his mother make him keep so many secrets?What were they? Hmmm… I wonder if I should find him a home, or maybe he could live with me.I was forced out of my village and he doesn't have a village. I don't know what to do.I wish I could see my daughter again, I haven't seen her for so long, I…"

(FLASHBACK)

Anana was sitting in her old rocking chair trying to get her child to sleep when her husband came in. "Anana get out of here before they hurt you and M-" They, being the villagers, dragged her husband away before he could finish his sentence.

"Nooo! Let him go!He hasn't done anything wrong! We just want to live a peaceful life!"

"Too Bad! It's your own fault for being part beast! We don't want any of your kind here!Get out or we'll kill your spawn child!"

Anana wrapped her arms protectively around her daughter."Leave us alone!We'll leave peacefully if you let my husband go!We'll never come back to this village again.Please!"

"You can go.Your daughter and husband must stay, we can't let him go, and we don't want your kind to live; so the way to prevent that is to kill the next generation."Some of the men reached out for her child, but she quickly got out of her house.She ran into the forest and climbed a tree, hoping to lose them.

They stayed in that tree for 3 days, trying to hide from the angered villagers. She had made a nest for her daughter, more or less like a bird would have done for it's young.Surprisingly her baby never cried.

She only went out to gather food at night when the citizens would be sleeping.She went out on the fourth night to find more food, and the villagers saw her.

"There's the demon! Kill her and her child!! Don't let her live!"

The people did eventually catch her late at night, when she was hiding in another tree away from her child.They dragged her away and sent her to the slave camp, where she was beaten regularly. Her life became a living hell for eleven long years.

(END OF FLASHBACK)

_I hope that my child lived through that nightmare, I can't, no won't believe that she died that night, she must have lived._Anana thought to herself

~*~*~*~

Hitomi was sleeping when Van came into her room.He sat on her windowsill, with the window open, and the wind blowing in his face. He looked up at the sky, it was almost suppertime, and he was really nervous about Hitomi's answer.'_I wonder if she has forgotten the question. I hope that she has, because I don't want to pressure her, I'm afraid that she'll want to stay here. She cares so much for her friends; I know I just couldn't take her ways from them.Her friendship with them is very important. I…I just don't know…'_

_'How could I forget that question?It's the most important decision of my life and I've already made it.Van I want…' _She said startling Van.

"I already know the answer, without reading your mind…How could I ask you to give up your life here with friends that care, just to live with me…It was a stupid hope" Van hung his head with regret.

Hitomi got out of bed and walked over to Van and wrapped her arms around his waist."No, not stupid. It is a wonderful dream that will become a reality.Van…I'm going to come with you, back to Gaia, to live with you there…if that's ok with you."

His head shot up, "But what about Amono and Yukari, and your family, what about them?"

She hugged him tighter, "I won't be happy without you.I was always sick and depressed after I came back, at some points I almost didn't want to live anymore.I wanted to see you so badly, that I had lost the will to live.I won't ever be that sad again, as long as I'm with you.My friends and family will understand that I can't live without you.I love you Van…I always have and always will.You're the best thing that has ever happened to me.I really did miss you Van."

"You know, when I woke up this morning, I just didn't feel right. I wasn't totally happy." He looked down sheepishly. "It wasn't because I left my home, or anything like that, it was because you weren't in my arms and that I wasn't near you.I need to be near you Hitomi. I love you so much. I…I just can't express how much I really do love you.I would do anything for you, as long as your happy and we're together forever."

They stood there watching the sunset. Enjoying, very much in each other's company.

~*~*~*~

(*A/N: I'm really sorry that it took me so long to get this one out…Anyways, I have to thank everyone for all the so generous reviews, :::Blushes furiously:::You people are all way too kind to me!!If you have any suggestions at all, tell me. Also I take flames, as long as you give me a reason why you didn't like it.Anyways I hope you enjoyed my story, don't worry it's far from being done.For future reference: I think that I might have around 25-30 chapters in this story.I really want to get this story done because I already have a new idea for another story.Thank you once again…~Oki*)


	11. Home Sweet Home

(*A/N: Everything in italic Pink is when someone is thinking to HIMSELF OR HERSELF

(*A/N: Everything in _italic Pink_ is when someone is thinking to HIMSELF OR HERSELF. When something is in _italic Blue_, then it's people talking to EACH OTHER through their thoughts.I just thought that I would change that because it was becoming very confusing. This is the last time that I'm going to put this reminder up.Enjoy^_^*)

** **

***Chapter XI, Home Sweet Home***

Merle was pacing around the study. _I wonder when Master Van will be home.I hope that he and Hitomi are ok.I wouldn't be surprised if they were deciding on whether Hitomi would be coming back or not, she will, of course.I know that they love each other so much that they wouldn't dare be without the other.I just wonder when._

"Merle? Are you there?"

"Ya, I'm in here.What can I do for you Griff?" She asked the Guard.

"There's a cat-man waiting for you in the front hall, would you like me to send him in?"

"Yes please.What did you say his name was?" She asked curiously

"His name is Lavi, he said you would know who he is.Do you?"

"Yes I do." She said dazed, happy that he has finally come.

Griff left and then Lavi came in right after him.Merle stood up and curtsied.

"You don't have to do that to me, Merle.I was wondering if you'd like to go for a walk with me to the market."

"I don't know…it's not that I don't want to go with you, it's just that…" She didn't know if she should tell him that there's another war coming, _He must have heard some of the rumors about a war.I wonder why he's asking now of all times.I really like him, but why now?_She thought to herself.

Oh no, I guess she doesn't like me in that why.I really liked her too…she's so beautiful and smart…I was hoping that I would have a mate to live with the rest of my life…I was also hoping that she would be the one…

"Ummm Lavi, I would really love to but, there's been a small problem here at the castle, and since Master Van is away, I have to deal with it.If you want you can stay here with me." Merle said instantly regretting her words._What have I done, I don't want him to get involved with this.I don't want to the one person that I really like to get hurt._

"I would like that.Is there anything that I could do to help?"

"Um ya…but first I would like to eat some food.Are you hungry?"

His stomach growled in response. Merle laughed. "I'll take that as a yes"

He followed her to the kitchen with a big smile.

~*~*~*~

(ANOTHER PLACE ON GAIA)

"Lord, everything is preceding as planed. The dragons will arrive at Fried at dawn tomorrow.Although I have a message from a scout near Fanelia, he has seen that the Duke left with the Knight of Caeli.We think that they are going to Fried.What should we do?"

"You idiots!You let them leave? They will ruin everything." He slapped the dragon slayer on the face."Kill them.If they are not dead, then you'll die. Dismissed!" The dragon slayer bowed respectfully to him, not daring to show any pain in front of him.

"Yes Sir." The guard left mumbling to himself, "I wonder why they would want to save his mind, and put it in another unfortunate person, I pity that fool." He wiped away the blood from his mouth."I hope he becomes crazy and dies."

As the guard walked down the hall of the Vione II he was meet by more of the new dragon slayers. "Hey Niro, Lord Dilandau told us that we have to kill The Prince and the Knight.Let's go before I'm kill, by Dilandau."

"He's not like the old Dilandau from what I've heard, he's so much more crazy than him.I don't really trust him, but we'll be killed if we don't.I wonder why I signed up for this in the first place."

"Because we all have shit for brains. Come on let's go before we get in to any more trouble. 

~*~*~*~

(ON EARTH)

"There I'm done." Hitomi said as she folded up each of the letter's to her friends and family, explaining what was about to happen to her.

"Are you sure you want to do this?I mean you really don't have to.I'll stay here if you want…" Van knew Hitomi was going to say no, but he had to ask. This decision will change the rest of her life, not to mention his too.

"Van I already told you, I'm going to come back with you.That's my final decision."

Van noted her tone as an, 'end of discussion' type.He knew that this was really hard for her and he didn't want her to regret her decision later._ I hope that she wont regret this, I don't know what I would do if she left again…_

Well for one thing, you have a very thick head, no offence, and not to mention this but this is the last time I'm going to say this Van, I love you, I don't ever plan to come back here, everyone will understand. I want to live the rest of my life with you.Please now stop asking and thinking about stupid questions.Hitomi thought without turning her back.

"I'm so sorry.I just couldn't bear to see you ever unhappy.I love you way too much to stand around while you not happy. I'm sorry"

"Don't worry, lets get going before my parents come home.They would try to stop me and I don't think I could deal with seeing them right now."

Van walked over to her and put his arms around her and put his head in her hair, taking a deep breath, placing a small kiss on her head.He picked up her only bag and left the room, to give her some time alone in her room.

I am going to miss earth a lot, maybe one day I'll find a way to come back and visit, till then I am really going to miss everyone.I will be happy.That was the wish of my grandfather right before he died, and there's only one way for me to be happy… I have to be with Van.

Hitomi walked down the stairs and took one last look around her house; she opened the door and saw Van waiting for her. She shut the door; she decided that if she looked back it would break her heart.

They started to walk to her school when she saw her parent's car."Van run." She just could confront her parents right know.The car turned around and started to follow them; to her surprise she also saw Amono and Yukari in the back seat.

"Great just all the people that I wanted to see…" she said under her breath.They reach her school and Hitomi called out to Van for him to stop.

"Why did we run?Wasn't that your parents and your friends in the car?"

"I can't face them, not now"

"Shhhh it's ok, you said that they understand, I'm sure that they will"

"No we have to get out of here as soon as possible"

"Hitomi? What's wrong? Why did you run from us?" Yukari asked

"I…I…"

"Your going back, aren't you?" Kioshi said. It was more of a statement then a question. 

Van hung his head; he felt like he was stealing Hitomi from her family, he felt so guilty.

Hitomi's mother walked up to her daughter and gave her the biggest hug, and whispered in hr ear, "I love you, we all love you, I just want you to be happy.Be happy Hitomi, and we will all be happy.Good bye."

"Mom…Thank you… Don't worry I will be happy."

Hitomi's father then walked up to Van; Van expecting the worst, kept his head low."Don't look so ashamed, I knew that she had to leave the house at some point, I'm glad she's leaving with you.Keep her safe and make her happy, you have my blessings in ALL things." Van's head shot up in surprise at the hidden meaning of his words.

"Thank you.I promise that I will keep her safe, even if it means my life.I will make her the happiest woman in all of Gaia."

"You had better get going, before somebody at your castle begins to worries."

Van bowed very deeply before turning to Hitomi; he waited for her to say her good bye's to everyone.

"Yukari, Amono, I will miss both of you so much.Please make each other happy.Good bye."

Hitomi walked over to Van, took his hand and looked at her friends and family.

"Van, it's time to go home." As she finished saying that, a bluish column of light enclosed Van and Hitomi.As they were lifted from the ground she waved good-bye to everyone and shouted, "Good bye!I will see you again I promise!!!"

Van held onto Hitomi bringing her close to him so she wouldn't drift away."I'm so sorry.I do love you and I always will."

~*~*~*~

(ON GAIA)

Anana woke before Doran and decided to go out and gather food for their trip to Fanelia.She found all sorts of berries, fruit and some other edibles.

When she came back, Doran was still sleeping; _He must have been really tired.Maybe we should wait for a couple of days so that we could both catch up on sleep._

"Miss Anana, how long till we reach Fanelia?"

"A couple of days. But I was thinking that we should rest here for a day or two.What do you think?"

"I would like to go to Fanelia as soon as possible, but if you think that we should stay here then…"

"So your not tired?"

"Not really"

"Ok.We'll eat then be on our way."

"Ok"

They eat quickly and packed up the food, which they didn't eat.When they were walking along the road a team of wagons was coming up behind them.Anana quickly snatched Doran's hand, just incase.

"Excuse me Miss, may I ask where you are going?" The driver called ahead.

"Y-Yes…we're heading towards Fanelia.What can we do for you?We have no money and we aren't looking for trouble."

"I'm sorry miss, but I'm not looking for money or anything else, other than Fanelia.I was going to ask you if you'd and the boy would like to travel with us.It would be safer if you did.We really mean you know harm."

"My name is Anana and his name is Doran.What's your name?Why are there so many carriages?"

"To answer your questions, we are carrying goods for the king of Fanelia and his friends.Also my name is Gaddis, I'm a friend of the King.Come up here, so that we can get going.I don't want to be late."

"Yes.Is there someplace where I could put the boy, so that he could sleep?He is very tired."

"Yep, put him in the back of this carriage.There are blankets back there to keep him warm."

"Thank you.This is very kind of you."

"We should be arriving at the castle at around midnight, so if you feel tired, by all means please go to sleep, don't let me keep you up."

~*~*~*~

(*A/N: To all the readers, I AM SO SORRY!!!! I know this one took a very long time to put up, and then next one is going to take even longer.I'm going away on a trip for 4 days so I won't be able to write.Also I know that this chapter is extremely short, but I had to put something up on my birthday, I'm not sure why, I just had to.Please forgive me!I promise that the next chapter will be very good!I didn't even have time to re-read this to make sure if there are any mistakes, so please excuse my errors.

On other things I have to thank all the wonderful people who read and review this story.I can't believe how many people have read this story.I never thought that I would make it a long story, but with all the reviews I just have to keep going.Anyways thanks again!! Sorry so short!!! ~Oki (Who is now 16)*)


	12. Surprises

*Chapter 12, Surprises*

*Chapter XII, Surprises*

"So Merle, what has happened that is so important?" 

Oh great, what do I say to him now? That the king is off on another planet, courting some woman? Ya right…

"Ummm…Master Van has disappeared, well sort of… but he wanted to leave. It's really difficult to explain…" she said, wondering if she should tell Lavi about Hitomi.

"Ok, that was a bit obscure… but don't worry I think I more or less understand." He said emphasizing the 'less'._What is this cat talking about? I don't want to embarrass her, because I like her, but I still wouldn't mind knowing what on Gaia she was talking about._

"To put it bluntly, he's gone to see the Lady Hitomi.You have heard of her right?… the savior of Gaia?"

"Don't worry I know who the Lady is, but doesn't she live on the Mystic Mo- Oh… Oh!He went there? To see... her? Why? Is Gaia in trouble again? What's wrong? Is…."

"Lavi!!! Stop it!" She said taking a hold of his shoulders."Calm down.He's there because he wants to bring her back to live with us, or so I think.They really like each other and they want to be around each other, and…" She tuned around and started to cry. She still liked Master Van, but she couldn't admit it yet, she thought that she was over him. She silently sobbed."I have to go now…"

"No Merle, please wait…what's wrong? Let me help.Please."

"I…I can't say. Please I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Ok, Shhhh. Don't worry we don't have to talked about that.So Merle, are you being courted by anyone?" He went red, as red as a tom could go.After he asked that question, he regretted asking her that instantly.

"No."

"Oh."

"So…"

"Ummm…"

"I think that I should get back to work before anything else happened.If you want, you can stay around the castle until dinner, than eat with me?"

"Actually I have some work that I should do in shop, but I could come back later for dinner."

"Ok" Merle said with a cheerful smile.

~*~*~*~

As their feet touched the ground the light faded away.

"Hitomi? We're here.We made it." Van said as he held her tightly.

"Ya, finally…home."

Van didn't move for a while.He knew that Hitomi would need time to adjust to calling Gaia her home.

"I think that we should start heading toward Fanelia." She said after being held for a while.

"Are you sure that your ready?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be." She said with a fake smile.

"Hitomi…I'm so sorry." He said.He pulled her closer to himself, trying to comfort her.

"Please Van, don't be sorry or I'll start to think that you'll regret me coming."

"NEVER!! Hitomi never.I would never think that. Ever. I'm sorry that I'm totally in love you. I'm sorry that I fell in love with the most beautiful woman from two worlds." He said resting his head on hers, looking up at the moons.

"Thank you."

"Are you ready?" he asked as his wings grew from his back.

"How far are we from Fanelia?"

"I think that we're about 150 miles from Fanelia, that is according to the stars."

"That far!?!?!? You can't fly that!"

"Yes I can.And I will!" Van said, a bit mad, because she thought that he couldn't do it, or that he is too weak to make it.

"I don't think that you too weak.I never have.I just don't think that you should strain yourself just for me.I won't have it.You'll get sick from exhaustion. Forget it!"

"Hitomi, sorry, I got mad, I just thought that you thought…"

"I know what you thought, and you were wrong."

"I really don't mind carrying you.I actually enjoy it. Anyway it's the fastest way back, which I know of.Besides, I've become a lot stronger, especially my wings. Also…"

"I have an idea." Hitomi interrupted.

Van face brightened, "What?"

"My wings." Hitomi said cheerfully.

"What?" Van asked, clearly startled."Your wings? You've never used them before and it might hurt." Van said not happy with the idea.He didn't want Hitomi to be in pain.

"I can deal with a little pain, anyways I might need them later, so I think that I should practice."

"Hitomi I really don't think that's a good idea." Van said grabbing Hitomi by the shoulder and lightly shaking her.

"To bad!! I want to!"

"Hitomi No!"

"You can't stop me." Hitomi said backing away from him. She had wiggled out of his grasp."I care too much about you to have you stressing your body because of me!" she said, still moving back, father away from him.

Van started to walk forward towards Hitomi, "Hitomi please think about this…"

He was to late.She let her wings loose, and with a cry, she fell to her knee's.'Sorry' she mouthed to him.

"Hitomi!" Van shouted as he ran to her."Why?"

"Because I need you to be healthy.I need to do this for myself." As Van reached out to her, she swatted his hand away. "I have to do this Van, please don't help."

Hitomi rose to her feet and spread her wings out full.Van looked at her and thought about the description that she once gave him about an angel.As he looked upon her in amazement he took off his shirt and spread his wings as well.

He walked over to her and looked deep into her forest eyes."I love you with all my heart and soul.You are my purpose in life, please let me help."

"Not this time Van.I can do it.Tell me what to do, please."

"Fine, but your no going to fly for very long, I don't want you to hurt yourself, but I will teach you.We'll do half and half.Do you agree to that?" Van asked, trying to compromise with her.

"Deal."

"Good, I'll seal it with a kiss." He walked over to her, put his arms around her waist and wrapped his wings around her. As he lowered his head down to her, he felt her wings also wrap around him.It was a pleasant feeling to have, hold and love someone like you. As they broke apart, she smiled at him, 

"Thank you for everything.I love you."

~*~*~*~

"Allen...why is it that you are very protective of me?" Prince Chid asked, taking Allen out of his trance like state, while riding his horse.

"Prince Chid, I'm sorry I don't think I understand.What do you mean? I know that I have to protect my prince at all costs."Allen looked at Chid inquisitively.

"I think that you are frightened for me.I mean maybe more than somebody really should, more like a father, and I was just wondering why?"

Allen looked at the prince, taken aback. "I...Ah...Well I guess it might be because I respected Marlene, your mother, and you're her son, so I respect you as well.Your mother was my friend, as was your father." he quickly added the last part.

"Oh, well you know that you don't need to protect me, I know how to handle a sword, and I can take care of my self.'

"I never said you couldn't, but it is my duty as a knight to protect all the royalties. And I would like to think of you as a friend too." he said cautiously.

They rode is silence for a very long time. Finally Chid spoke up, "We will always be friends.How long till Fried do you think?"

"I think that we should be there fairly soon. Thank you, friend."Allen knew that sounded really bad, but he had to say it.To call his son his friend, he also knew that this couldn't last forever, somebody one day would tell him who his real father was. It scared him; he didn't know what would happened if found out from the wrong person at the wrong time.How would he react? He decided to let that question pass; there was nothing he could do.

~*~*~*~

Anana was watching the scenery as they drove by._I wonder what I could say to this man? Didn't he say that he was friends with the King? What would I say to the King if this man decides to introduce me?What am I saying, why would this man, who I don't even know, introduce me to the king of Fanelia, I mean the KING? _

"Excuse me, Sir Gaddis, umm how long till Fanelia?Doran hasn't eaten in a fairly long time and I think that he might be hungry. I promised that I would take care of him..."

"Don't worry, miss there is some food in the back, we could stop if you want, so he could eat."

"No, sorry sir, we don't have to stop. We could wait till we get to Fanelia." She said afraid of being a burden.

"Please stop calling me sir, I'm not really one, I guess you could call me a rehabilitated soldier.I've seen the inside of many dungeons.I'm far from being a sir. Anyways the horses need a break, so I think we should stop anyways. Whoa!" he called out to the horses, and the horses stop at the side of the road.

Anana walked to the back of the carriage and saw Doran sleeping. She woke him up just to give him some bread and water, so the boy doesn't starve.

"Why have we stop, miss Anana?"

"The horses needed a break and the people needed food. We start again in a couple of minutes.Are you ok back here?"

"Yah, it's nice out of the sun and heat. Thank you for the food."

"You don't have to thank me."

"Momma always said that I should always say thank you to people when somebody gives me something."

"Then thank you for coming with me to Fanelia. Go back to sleep now. I'll wake you up when were in Fanelia."

"Ok..." he said as he was falling asleep.

"Miss Anana? Please hurry and sit up here with me." She was startled when Gaddis came back to the carriage.

"Ok"

"There's some people coming up, and I don't know if they mean us harm of not, so please stay up here with so that your safe. And play along, if I make up a story."

"Ok" she said frightened by what he was saying.

Some of the riders were coming towards them very quickly.

"Please stop" the guard in the front said. "What are you carrying?"

" I'm carrying things for the King of Fanelia. Now please let us by."

"What sort of things?" he asked ignoring Gaddis's questions."Why are you going to Fanelia? What are your purposes there?"

"Are you a guard from Fanelia?"

"That is irrelevant. Now stop asking question and answer mine. Why are you going to Fanelia?"

"I plan to see the King and deliver the things that I have here for him."

"Not anymore." he said drawing his sword.

~*~*~*~

Millerna and Celena were sitting in the garden talking quietly to each other.

"He's done what?!?!" Millerna asked outraged.

"He's only tried a couple of times. He doesn't seem to get it through his head though. I don't know why he persists to set me up with a dim-witted men who cares and knows nothing about the world surrounding him. I want to travel the world, see what's out there and help those in need."

"I still can't believe that Allen, your own brother would do something like that, after all, your old enough to pick by your self.Don't let him get his way by setting you up with someone you don't like.Wait a minute, weren't you…and Van? What happened there?"

"Van broke off the engagement, but I don't really mind.I think Allen always knew that Van could never marry anyone else other than Hitomi. I've also known that, actually Van and I talked about it I gave him some clues on how to sweep a girl or woman off her feet. I just hope that he'll take my advice."

"You mean…that you have A King advice on a girl, while you're engaged to him? Oh that's just too good!!!" Millerna said while laughing so hard that she almost fell off the bench she was sitting on.

"You know, he's really sweet, but he just too shy and devoted to Hitomi I hope I get to meet her, from what I've heard she amazing, of course that was coming from the two men who liked her."

"So Van told you everything?"

"Yes, after a lot of pressure and pushing, he finally told me. When he and Hitomi marry, I hope that we'll stay the best of friends."

"Marry, are you sure she'll say yes. 

"I'm not totally sure, but once I meet her I'll know."

"Celena? Celena! Where are you?" Merle shouted from afar. 

"Merle stop shouting and come over here and talk don't shout!" Celena said.

"Celena I need your help…you see I'm having dinner with Lavi and I don't know what to do, please oh please help me!"

"Ok, ok, calm down! I'll help but what do you want me to help you with?"

"Um everything."

"Ok. Lets go to your room and pick out some stuff. Would you like to help Millerna?"

"I don't know…"

"Oh please oh please, I really like Lavi and well I like him." Merle asked desperately.

"I guess we could quickly get something going."

"Thank you! Oh thank you so much!"

~*~*~*~

Hello everyone, I know that this is **_REALLY, REALLY_** long over due, please forgive me!! I've been so busy with everything! Anyways tell me what you want, another chapter in this story, or a first chapter in another story. Tell me in the review. Anyways thank you very much for reading and reviewing, the people who have. I don't really deserve everyone's kind reviews, but I'll keep them coming a bit faster now, sorry! Oki, ps sorry this is so short!! Bye Now.


	13. The beginning of the War

Chapter XIII

***Chapter XIII, The beginning of the War***

(*A/N: Warning, there is some swearing, but I have stared most of it out, but I don't think that does much anyways there is FLUFF to a very BIG degree, and there is blood at the end.Sorry if I have offended anyone.But I can say I warned you! Enjoy!!*)

Chid and Allen were starting to become very nervous about getting to fried on time. Their horses just weren't going fast enough for the likes of them.

"Allen I don't think we're going to be there on time.I just can't let anything happen to my country! Please we have to do something!"

"I have an idea!" Allen said al of a sudden.He whistle and his bird, Natal came swooping in and landed on Allen's arm. He took the bird's message carrier and wrote fried a warning about the oncoming war. "Natal, bring this to Fried."

Chid watched Allen talk to the bird. He didn't think that it was going to work, but he just hoped that anything would work right now. He couldn't let down his country right now.

"Do you think that it will work?"

"I'm not sure, but let's hurry anyways.

~*~*~*~

Dilandau was sitting in 'his' chair, waiting for news of the attack. It wasn't coming fast enough so he called a guard into his thrown room.

"Where the hell are the reports of the attack on Fried?"

"Sire, they haven't started to attack yet, they have just only arrived and now are resting, so they can attack at full strength."

"Not good enough.When I ask something to be done, I expect it to be done then, not days later! Prepare my guymelef unit now, oh yes, and if it's not done by the time I get down there, consider yourself dead."

The guard paled, he ran from the room as fast as he could. He started to yell at everyone to get everything ready. Thankfully as Lord Dilandau was walking down the stairs everything was ready.

"Lord Dilandau, all is ready."

"Good." He said with an odd grin on his face.Before the guard knew it, Dilandau's sword was embedded deep in his stomach.

"Lord…Why?"

"Because you've failed me too many times. I won't have any more failures. That's a warning to the rest of you dim-witted fools. I will not have any more failures! Now I'm going Fried, everyone is coming with me. Don't disappoint me. Or you shall suffer the same fait as your fellow friend."

They all ran to their melef's and ready for departure.

"I shall finally have revenge on all of Gaia!! I will finally be able to kill Van Fanel, just like his brother promised me!"

~*~*~*~

Van flew under Hitomi, afraid that if she fell he wouldn't be able to get to her in time. She had been flying for over an hour, and he knew that she must have been getting tired now. 

_Hitomi, please let's stop now. You won't be able to fly forever, not even I can do that.Now please let stop._ He knew if he tried to speak to her the other way she won't have been able to hear him.

_Van I have to keep going, I can't stop because of being tired.The war won't wait for us to start. It just will start.I can't let that happen, Van.I can't stop; I know that you understand that, because you feel it too. You're just worried about me. Well don't be!_

_I'm sorry Hitomi, but I can't let you keep going, you'll hurt yourself, and I can't have that._ Van caught up with her, and grabbed her around the waist and slowly brought her down to the ground.

"Van! Let go of me this instant! Let go!" Hitomi tried to push herself away from Van, but it didn't work, he was too strong for her.

"Not this time Hitomi! You'll hurt yourself."

"Stop be so f**king protective of me! I have to do this you a** hole! Let go!" She pounded on him, trying to get him to listen to her.

"No. I won't talk about this anymore. We are going to take a break, even if I have to tie you to a tree! If you get hurt, there's no point in us going, because I won't leave you behind! So stop trying to fly! Please." He ended with a plea, after bringing her down to the ground beside a tree.

"Van, I… I'm sorry, I just can't let anything happen to Gaia, I feel like it's my fault, and if anything ever happened to Gaia and especially Fanelia I would blame myself." She sat down beside Van, and rested her head against his shoulder.

"Hitomi, please just settle down.We should take a quick nap, then right after we'll get going."He wrapped his strong arms around Hitomi, as if to protected her from everything.

They rested against a tree with his arms around Hitomi. She felt so safe a secure in his arms, she never wanted to leave. 

"Van…"

"Yes Hitomi?"

"Nothing I just wanted to say your name."

"Oh."

They silently sat, each worried about the well being of Gaia. They were about to face another great war. One that would take more of their friends and family, it would once again change their lives.

"I love you so much Van, I don't know what would've happened to me if I never met you."

"We would have eventually met, we were destined to be together forever."

Hitomi was sitting so peacefully; Van knew that now was as good a time as ever to ask her. He knew that there wouldn't be any time once they got to Fanelia to ask her.

"Hitomi…I want…will you be…" He took a breath and started again. "Hitomi, I love you more than life it self, and I would be honored and privileged if you would become my wife, and I your devoted husband.I promise I would never let anything happen to you, I know you want to learn to defend yourself, but I can't help but protect you.I love you too much to ever let anything bad ever happen to you."

"You know people will talk.Their King marrying a girl from the Mystic Moon, the cursed place. Not to mention that I'm a Dracongian. I don't really think I should…"

"It doesn't matter to me, please I would do…" Van started to panic, he couldn't believe that she was saying no.He had to try and convince her.Hitomi kiss him to shut him up.

"Van I was only joking. Of course I will marry you, you crazy dumb fool. Although, I can't love you more than life, because, you are my life. I would do anything for you.I love you too."

Van brought her face up to his, and brought her lips to kiss her in a deep passionate kiss, that would seem like it's their last. He put his hands on the small of her back, and pressed down, to deepen the kiss even more. She slightly tugged at his shirt, all the while their lips never parting. He got the message of what she wanted, and he obliged.Briefly taking his lips off her's, as he shrugged out of his shirt, and she did the same.Van looked down upon his _fiancée_ with pride and devotion as he made love to her under the starry sky.

~*~*~*~

As the guard drew his sword Gaddis didn't flinch at all he kept the grin on his face and checked out his surroundings, he then looked at Anana. Anana sat on the wagon purely frightened. Gaddis noticed this and spoke to her.

"Don't worry.You'd be surprised how many of my 'merchant's' aren't really merchants.Nothing is going to stop us from getting to Fanelia. Don't worry, calm down or they'll notice."

"I'm sorry." She whispered. Gaddis nodded as an answer.

"Why are you not letting us pass peacefully? It doesn't matter, we're leaving and if you get in our way…just say that I warned you..." Gaddis look and counted about 40 guards, usually enough to take a string of merchants but not the entire population of the Crusade. 

"Excuse me, I don't think that mire merchants could stop us from preventing you."

"Your right, but we're not mire merchants."Gaddis drew his sword."Do you really want to fight, because it would be very pointless on my side, so it would be better if you just let us be on our way."

"It's that funny, the stupid merchant man is trying to bluff us. Men get ready to attack."

"Teo call out the men, it looks like we're about to have some fun." Gaddis shouted over his shoulder.His men started to file out of all the wagons and each had a different deadly weapon.

The guards looked at the huge mass of men and their face became white as snow. 

"Now really do we have to carry on with this pitiful thing, because it would be a shame if you turned an run off like the mice you are.My men are all too willing to fight; they haven't had a good show in a couple of months now, so they're really rowdy. It's up to you."

"We'll get you, you pig s**h!You can't stay awake for ever."

"Yes we can, it's called shifts." Gaddis called after their fleeting forms.

"See miss Anana, nothing to worry about."

"Where are these men from?" she asked in wonder.

"Ever heard of Sir Allen Schezar, we're his crew."

"Oh." Her eyes were wide with delight. 

"Well we are almost to Fanelia, you better get some sleep." 

"Ok."

Gaddis looked at Miss Anana, noticing that she looked somewhat familiar, and then it hit him, _Wow! She's looks so much like Merle! I can't believe it! Same pink hair, same strips and fur color, I can't believe I didn't notice that before._

They reached Fanelia about an hour before dinner. They stopped right inform of the main entrance of the castle that belonged to the King. He gently woke up miss Anana.

"Do you have a place to stay, here in Fanelia?"

"No.I'm looking for family and the boy lost his family so I'm taking care of him.We have no place to stay."

"Hold on I might be able to arrange something.Come with me." Anana went over to get Doran and saw that he was still sleeping.She was about to wake him, but Gaddis shook his head.He picked him up and carried him inside the castle.

"Gaddis, it's good to see you again."

"Griff, do you have some royalty here today other than the King?"

"I do.Follow me; I'll take you to them.I see you have some friends."

"I picked them up along the way, they didn't have a place to stay, and I felt bad for them." He said quietly so that Anana wouldn't be offended at the sympathy act.

"They're right though that door."

"Thank you." He opened the door and saw Dryden, Millerna, Merle and another cat-man.

"Hello?"

"Gaddis, we weren't expecting you for another day or so.Who's you friends?"

Anana was somewhat hiding behind Gaddis, because she was in the presence of royalty.

"This is Miss Anana and her friend Doran, we picked them up along the way and…" Anana bowed very deeply to show respect. As she came up from the bow she looked at the cat-woman.

Anana gasped. "Merle?" She said in a harsh whisper. Merle turned around and saw this older cat woman looking at her very intensely. 

"Yes. Who are you?How did you know my name?"

Anana was shocked, that she found her.She felt like she was almost brought to her.

"May I speak to you alone, I just have to ask you something."

"Ok." Merle waved off the curious on-lookers, and she put a hand up to Lavi as if to say that she would be fine.

They moved out the door and closed it."How did you know my name?" Merle asked curiously.

"Because I gave it to you.I don't know how to say this but I thin that you're my daughter."

~*~*~*~

"We made it.But, look Allen nothing has passed.I wonder what's going on. Hitomi's never been wrong about a premonition before, why now."Chid looked happy but very surprised.

"I think that we may be early.I hope so, that might give us some time to prepare. Let's hurry to the palace."

They rushed to the palace, trying all the same not to trample anyone on their way there.

"Guards open the gates and hurry." The guards saw who it was and quickly opened the gates to let their Prince in.Chid jumped off his horse and ran to his lead guard and then to the conference room.

"Please sit down and be quiet.We don't have much time.I have word that we'll be under attack fairly soon.We have to prepare, I'm not going to run away this time.I'm old enough to deal with this.I want guards to surround the city gates. Half a dozen guards, every ten meters. * I want tree guymelef's at every gate.I want people to evacuate the city.You have don't have anytime to waste, get this done now!"Everybody ran out doing everything to warn Fried of the on-coming attack.

"I see you've become an amazing leader of your country and an excellent tactician too.I'm sure your parents would be very proud.What would you like me to do your majesty?"

"First stop calling me your 'majesty'. We went through this before, we're friends.We don't have very many experience guymelef pilots so I was wondering if you could help there.I know you don't have Schezard with you but we have some capable units."

"I would be honored.Were would you like me to go."

"It doesn't matter, just protect my people.I don't want anymore to die like last time. It's unfair to them.They sacrificed their lives to protect me and the other people of Fried. It won't happen again!"

"I will protect Fried with my life if it comes to that." Allen bowed to show his sincerity. 

"Thank you, friend."

~*~*~*~

"Lord Dilandau, the camp is just over those hills."

"Fine. Once we land we are going to gather up the willing soldiers and attack."

"What are you going to do with the unwilling soldiers?"

"They failed me and don't deserve to live anymore."

Dilandau and his unit all had their invisible cloaks on.The technology in Zaibach has improved so now they can fly invisible to all.They landed in the very middle of the came, Dilandau put on his speakers. "GET UP NOW!!!"

All the men jumped up at the voice, scared s**tless for several reasons.Dilandau was there; they all knew that they are in trouble, so they rushed to get ready.

"Would all the commander's who thought that taking a break and catching up on their beauty sleep please step forward, I would like to award you."The men somewhat eagerly jumped forward

Dilandau shot his liquid metal and decapitated them quickly.The others stood shock to the bone.

"Prepare to invade Fried. But first are they anymore objections?"

Everyone ran to their units to get ready. Dilandau stood laughing; he would finally have revenge on Gaia. They left him alone.

~*~*~*~

(A/N: Hello everyone!!! Thank you all for the very considerate reviews!!! ^_^I still can't believe how many people like this story.Anyways this chapter had a bit more of gruesome parts and lots of FLUFF!!!! I know some of the parts are really rough, but I hope that you liked it!! Thanks for reading!!! Oki Miya)


	14. Introductions

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*Chapter XIV, Introductions* 

(A/N: Hello everybody!!! Sorry it took me so long Forgive me!!!!I am wondering if I should start another story because I don't think a lot of people like this story.. Or is that just me being stupid…ah well. Well I don't mean to sound like a pain in the a**. I'll shut up now and write the stupid story… sorry. I hope that you'll enjoy this story. ^_^)

~*~*~*~

"Mmmm… Hitomi? Are you awake?" Van asked as he tightened his arms around her. He stayed in her sweet embrace until she woke up. She murmured then she answered him.

"I am now." Hitomi smiled up at him. Suddenly she got up. Totally forgetting that she wasn't wearing anything.

When she realized where they were she became frantic. "Van what are we doing?!?!"

"Umm we…"

"Not that your horny fool. We should be getting to Fanelia. NOW!!! There's about to be a war and we're sitting here sleeping away!!! I can't believe it!!!" Van looked hurt. 

After Hitomi got changed and calmed down, she saw Van's face; she walked over to him, and helped him to stand. She wrapped her arms around him, trying to comfort him."Van, I truly loved doing that with you –we'll be sure to do it again – but there's about to be a war against the alliance, and we have more important things to worry about. Listen when we have a couple of free minutes, we'll go and find a place where it can be just you and I. Promise. I love you Van with all my heart, please don't ever think that I would regret spending even I second with you. I cherish every second I do have with you. I always will."

Hitomi cupped his face with both of her hands and kissed him passionately. 

"I can't believe that I would think otherwise. Forgive me?"

"No. Can you forgive me?"

"Yes of course. Now I think your right, we should be getting to Fanelia, really soon too. Let's go."

They both sprouted their wings and flew to Fanelia.

~*~*~*~

While Allen and Chid were both standing in their guymelef's, waiting for the enemy to attack, they talked trying to get rid of the butterflies in their stomach's.

"Allen…As a friend I have a question." Chid waited for him to answer. They were on a private intercom.

"Yes Prince Chid what is it?"

"I've heard people say that you and my mother were once very close to each other. Is it true?"

"Yes." Allen said after taking a deep breath.

"What was she like? I don't really remember her very much, and I miss her a lot."

Allen chuckled. "She was very smart, and beautiful too. She always hated watching tournaments. She thought that they were pointless, and that somebody always got hurt without a good cause.And she loved digitalis flowers,* she loved the smell of them when they were in full bloom. I think that there are common in Fried."

"Oh… Your right, I remember always smelling them when I was younger, but I never figured that out till you said it. Thank you. I know have something to remember her by."

Allen was about to say something when he heard a noise.

"It's begun." Chid said becoming very serious. He then turned off the intercom. Suddenly a Zaibach guymelef appeared out of know where. Allen reacted quickly and defended himself from a jab to his head. He took out his sword and ran after the attacking guymelef. He sliced right through his opponent's facemask, but not killing him. Another one came up behind him and tried to stab him in the back but Prince Chid was there to watch his back.

"Thank you Chid, I owe you one."

"Sure. Just protect my country!" Allen sliced another guymelef in the chest, taking out the energist. Allen couldn't believe how much the technology has changed! _I can't believe that they can know fly with their cloaking devices on! This is useless!!!_ Allen took out another one that was chasing after some men on foot. There were so many of them that he knew that they wouldn't survive without some help. Allen saw some of royal guards were crushed under all the guymelef's feet.Out of the corner of Allen's eye he saw a red guymelef. It looked more or less like Dilandau's old one, but he's gone. Then Allen noticed that it was spewing fire all over.It had the same techniques as his worst enemy.

"No it couldn't be. Celena is in Fanelia. How…" His eyes went wide when he saw that the guymelef was coming after Chid. Allen ran to his defense, but it was too late. The red guymelef hit Chid, and the liquid metal went through his back. The guymelef dropped to the ground. Allen's heart stopped.He couldn't believe that he couldn't save his own son.

Allen felt so much pain running through his system; he charged the red guymelef, going in to kill him. His emotions took charge of Allen. He came up behind him and tried to sever the red guymelef's head, but he had heard Allen coming and turned around to block the on coming sword. Allen couldn't control himself, he shouted, "I'll kill you!! You bastard!!! I won't let you get away with murder!!!" Allen swung furiously at the guymelef's head.

Allen heard a hideous laugh that jogged his memory to the past.

"Allen Shezar! So you've come to fight me again. I don't think you can beat me now. You couldn't even beat me before, without the help of Fanel." Dilandau laughed. 

Dilandau had a liquid metal sword in one hand and a flame-thrower in the other. 

"I'll get you one way or another!!! I don't care if you were once my sister, I'll kill you!!!" Allen yelled at Dilandau.

Dilandau swiped at his rival and took off the guymelef's arm. Allen stumbled back a few paces and continued to fight with all his might. Dilandau stuck Allen in the leg. He fell to his knees.

"Allen looks like you can beat me. Hahahaha!!! Not even a Caeli knight can beat me! I'm invincible, I can't die, and I will keep on being reborn when ever I die. I will even haunt you in the realm of the dead. I will see you there!!! Die Allen Shezar!!!" 

Dilandau raised his sword and prepared to kill Allen Shezar.

~*~*~*~

"What do you mean that you're my mother…I thought she abandoned me when I was a child. No you can't be her! I won't believe that!"

Merle was so shaken up that tears rolled down her furry cheeks.

"Please. I'm so sorry that I left you. I was taken away. I became a slave, and I fought everyday to try to get away to come back and find you. I'm so sorry." Anana pleaded trying to get Merle to understand.

"I had given up on the thought of ever having a mother, till the Fanel's found me. I know have a family here and I don't need you! Leave me alone!!!" Merle rushed back into the study with everyone else. After a few moments Anana followed, with her gaze upon the ground.

Everyone looked at the both of them, until Gaddis spoke up."Miss Anana I'm sure you're tired. Merle do you have some rooms where Miss Anana and Doran rest?"

"NO!" 

Everyone was shocked. No one every thought Merle would ever turn two people away into the cold of the night. Lavi spoke up. "Merle I'm sure you don't mean that. Gaddis I think that you should go ask a guard for some rooms for them. It's late and everyone is tired. Come on Merle lets go for a walk in the garden." Before getting a response from Merle he took her to the garden. After Merle, Lavi, Gaddis, Anana and Doran had left Millerna asked Dryden a question. 

"I wonder what that was all about."

"It probably doesn't involve us and I don't want to get in the middle of a cat fight. I've heard that they're vicious. Come on dear, let's go to sleep."

~*~*~*~

When Merle and Lavi enter the garden, Merle broke down and started to cry.Lavi came up to her and cautiously gave her a hug.

"What's wrong Merle?What did Miss Anana say to you that has made you so upset? Please tell me. I want to help you.I don't like seeing you sad."

"Lavi, she said... she said that she is my mother.My mother had abandoned me when I was just a little child.I was left in a tree to die.My mother didn't care about me, which is why she left me.As for my father all I remember was that one night there was a lot of shouting and screaming and running, and my house was on fire, and we ran and ran. I guessed that he died then.I don't really remember much else.I can't believe that she would come back after so long and try to be my mother again, that is if she really is. Like I can believe her!!!"

"Hush... don't worry, have you considered what she said?Did she give you a reason why she came back to look for you, or why she was taken away in the first place?"

"Yes she did... she said that she was taken away to become a slave. And now she just comes back... after so long.What would master Van do in a situation like this?"

"He might give her a chance to explain her self and try to fix things so that everyone could be happy."Lavi wasn't happy that Merle always seem to be thinking about Lord Van.

"I just don't understand why she would come back after so long..."

"Give her a chance. She might have a good reason... Come on let me walk you back to your room.It's getting late and I don't want you to be grumpy in the morning."He took her hand and walks her to her room, very slowly; enjoying the time he could spend with her.

He really did like her and he wanted to ask her if she would be his mate.Besides that fact that he thought of her as his sole mate, he wanted more than just the friendship that they shared.

"What are you thinking about Lavi?" Merle asked quietly, still drying her tears.

"You...I mean...I'm sorry..." Lavi stopped and looked down.He was as red as a tom could go.

Merle laughed."Your sorry that you like me? I hope not, because I do like you, I know sometimes it doesn't seem like that, but I really do like you."

Although his face was red he looked into her deep blue eyes letting her know that he did like her more than a friend.

"Merle..." Lavi was really nervous.They stood outside her door and the guards were doing their rounds, and he thought that this was a private matter, which only he and their friends should know about.

He opened her door and pulled her inside.She looked slightly started by doing this, but she remained calm.

"Merle, I don't know how to do this, so please bare with me...I have liked you since the day I met you. It was right after the war had ended and you were giving lunch out to the working people of Fanelia. I was one of the working people and I thought that you came only up to me and gave me some food.I though that you liked me and only me, I was very wrong, but at that moment when you did give me food I felt very special. When I found out that you were giving it out to everyone, I felt like a fool and I also felt jealous.You looked at me with your gorgeous blue eyes and just that look made me want to work hard and do some other things that I'm not going to say, because they are just too embarrassing, but I promise maybe another time."Seeing the way she looked at him, made him realize that he was making a fool out of himself."Anyways I really want us to be together, like I want to court you, but since Lord Van isn't her for me to ask him, I guess I would just come out and say that I like you, more than a friend.I just want to be there for you when you need me and help you with your problems.I really like you so I guess I should stop talking because I guess you think that I'm just a big creepy person, who is stalking you.I'm sorry for bothering you Merle.If you want, I'll leave you alone...forever." He lowered his head in embarrassment after emptying his heart to her.

"Lavi, I think that you're really sweet cat but I also think that your right, not only are you making a fool out of yourself, I do like you and I also think that we have a future together.And I don't want you to leave, because I also like you. And I'm glad that you told me.Thank you Lavi, what you said really means a lot to me. Oh ya, I don't think that Lord Van would mind, because if he did, I would talk to him, and also I think Hitomi would side with me too. Not to mention that you talk to much."

"Oh, I guess I got a little to ahead of myself, sorry.I guess then I should let you go to sleep, because as I said before, I want a nice kitty tomorrow not some grumpy cat.I will come by for breakfast tomorrow, if that ok with you?"

"Oh course.Good night Lavi, sleep well."Merle got up on her tippy toes and gave him a small kiss on his check.She decided that she liked being in his arms so she wrapped her arms around his waist and tail around one of his legs.She then felt his tail rub up against her's.

"Good night, Merle I hope that you have a dream filled sleep."

"Mmmm ummm.... Good night, see you in the morning." Lavi left her standing in the same spot with his scent still around her, she giggled like a schoolgirl as Hitomi once called it, then jumped into bed, awaiting dreams about Lavi.

~*~*~*~

Hitomi started to become very tired, but she didn't want to tell Van, she knew she had to keep going.Her wings had become very tired, and were starting to slow down and she found herself suddenly dropping to fast.

Van had his mind on ways he could prevent another war from happening. Suddenly a white blur was falling right in front of him.He looked up to see if Hitomi was all right, but she wasn't there.He looked down at the dropping figure and noticed that it was Hitomi.He folded his wings and plunged after her as fast as he could.He flew under her and caught her in his strong arms.He saw that she was unconscious, because she had pushed herself too far, and was going to have to have a small talk with her about pushing herself too far.

It was about an hour later when he reached to the boards of Fanelia.He flew a bit faster, because he was really tired and needed sleep.

"Hang on Hitomi, we're almost home." He softly whispered into her ear.In the distance he saw his castle and flew directly to his balcony window. They finally arrived, and Van was so happy that Hitomi was stay and become his wife and the rule of Fanelia aside himself.

When they entered his room, he put Hitomi on his bed and took off her shoes, and took off his shirt and shoes and crawled into bed beside her and fell asleep.

"Good night my love.I will see you in the morrow. Sweet dream Hitomi." He gently kissed her on the check and drifted of in a dream filled sleep.

~*~*~*~

The next morning, a servant came into the King's room to make sure that it was clean; no matter if he was even on this planet, it was her job to make sure that his room stayed clean.

When she came in she saw that the bed was unmade and there were people sleeping in it!

She was terrified and let out a blood-curdling scream that must have awoken that side of Gaia.Van instantly woke up reaching for his sword, which wasn't there.Hitomi woke up to afraid that they were being attacked or something.

"What's going on here!?!?" shouted a voice from the hall. When that voice entered the room he saw that his King had returned with somebody else. Instinctively he bowed.

"For give me your majesty, we didn't know you returned.My lady Hitomi, it is also good that you have returned with his majesty.We are sorry for disturbing you, we will leave now."

Van sat there totally dazed and confused.He had no idea to what had just happened.His mind still wasn't awake, from the abrupt awakening.

Hitomi was now wide-awake from the scream.When she looked over at Van's face, he looked so tired and appeared to be falling asleep right there.

"Van, can we go back to sleep for awhile?"

"Ya sure I guess, the entire castle now knows that we're here, so we won't be getting as much sleep, so...let's just go back to bed." Van yawned.

"You are so cute when you're tired. Good night….or morning Van." She put her arms around his upper body and snuggled up to him and slept again, not caring how or when she came to be in his bed.

Only seconds later another shrill awoke them once again."MASTER VANNNNNN!!!!!!!"Merle had ran into his room and jumped on the bed. Merle then noticed that Hitomi was there with him.

"HHIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTOOOOOOMMMMMMIIIIII!!!! I'm soooo happy that you came back with Master Van!!!"

"Merle I thought at least by now you would have grown out of that stage of attacking Van."

"Nope!This time are you staying for good?"

"At this point it depends on how much sleep I get, especially with you around!"

"So that's means that you're staying!!!! YAAAAA" Merle had been bouncing up and down on the bed, not knowing that she was still jumping on Van.

"Aghh!" Van moaned.

"Opps, Sorry master Van, I'm just so happy that you've come back! Come on let's go and eat breakfast!!!Hurry get changed and come down!" 

"Merle we're not across the courtyard so you don't have to yell!" Van said as he was trying to get out of bed.Unfortunately his feet were tangled in the sheets and he fell off the bed, face first on to the ground. "This is not going to be a fun day!"

Merle and Hitomi were both laughing at the picture of a King face first on the ground.

"Van having fun down there?" Hitomi asked as she crawled over and looked at Van laying on the floor.

"No!" Van grabbed the rest of the sheets and pulled both Hitomi and Merle off the bed and onto the ground with him.

"Now I'm having fun!" he said with the largest grin on his face.Hitomi picked up a pillow and threw it at his face, and doubled over with laughter.

Van and Hitomi were engaged in a massive pillow fight when they heard Merle laughing.They automatically stopped and went after Merle.

"Hey no fair, this is your people's fight, not mine!" Merle ran out of that room very quickly, while shouting at them to get ready.

"I guess we had better get ready now.Come on your majesty get up!" Hitomi stood up and offered her hand. He took it, but pulled her back down.

"Not yet."He said right before he kissed her.

Hitomi broke apart."Van we really should get going. There are more important things to do right now than make out, as the war.Come on let's go and say good morning to everyone."

"I guess you're right, there's time to have fun later…now's later…" Van went to grab her again but she got away.

"I'm serious Van. Later!" she put on her coat and left the room.

"I will never understand her! Women!!!"

"I heard that, your highness. I'm hungry, I'll meet you down stairs in the breakfast room. Hurry up." Hitomi said while running out in the hall.

Van grumbled and got ready and chased after Hitomi.

~*~*~*~

After Van and Hitomi eat breakfast alone, since it was almost noon, then went to the garden to greet everyone.

Hitomi saw almost everyone.Millerna was talking to Celena, Merle was talking to a cat-man. Gaddis, Dryden, a small boy and a older cat-woman were also talking.

Hitomi suddenly stopped. Van noticed that Hitomi had stopped and turned around to look at what was the matter.Her face was very pale.

"Hitomi, what's wrong?…Hitomi?Are you okay?" Van asked worried.

"It's them."

"Who?"

"Who's that sitting with Dryden and Gaddis?"

"I'm not sure, why.Do you know them from somewhere or something?"

"They were in one of my visions and… I have to know who they are."

Hitomi walked over to them. "Hello Dryden, Gaddis.It's good to see you again."

"Hitomi! It's good to see you too."

"Little lady, I'm glad your back.Wait are there any reason why your back?" Gaddis said.

"I don't mean to be rude, but who are these people."

"Hitomi this is Miss Anana and Doran.I found them on the way here.Why?"

"It's nice to meet you Miss Anana and Doran. I'm sorry for being rude I thought that your were somebody else."

"It's okay Lady Hitomi.I'm pleased to meet you." 

"Hello Lady Hitomi, my name's Doran."

"Hello Doran.How are you?" Hitomi said with a big smile on her face.

"Good."Doran looked behind Hitomi and saw Van.

Doran stood up and ran over to Van."Daddy?" he yelled.Doran kept running over to Van.

Van was caught off guard by this and almost fell over.He looked so shocked.Hitomi ran after Doran and up to Van.Doran grabbed Van's leg, and hugged it.

"Van is there something you never told me?"

"Uhh no, I mean I've never seen this boy before in my life." He said quietly so that the boy couldn't hear him.

"Daddy look, I've been practicing!" Doran said with the happiest face in the world.

Suddenly wings sprouted from Doran's back.Everyone was shocked.

"Oh my!He's a Draconian! I thought that there were no more of those on Gaia." Anana shouted.

"So it's is true!You are the one I saw in my vision!" Hitomi gasped.

"Boy, what is your name?" Van asked quietly.

"Don't you remember me, daddy?My name's Doran."

"That's my father's middle name."Then it hit him."Folken!"

~*~*~*~

(A/N: * More commonly known as Fox Glove. 

**Anyways can anyone guess Who Doran is?? I guess no one really guessed that Anana was Merle's mother.Well I hoped that everyone liked this chapter. Once again, Sorry it took me so long to put out, but it's almost exam time, so I won't be able to write, read and review anything for a very long time, sorry!!I hope you liked it!! ^_^ Thanks for reading!!! Oki Miya)


	15. Mystery

Chapter XV, Mystery

Chapter XV, Mystery

(*A/N: Forget about exam's!! either I know my stuff or I don't!!! well here' the next chapter!!! Ah ya, since for some reason I can't get color to work very well of fanfiction.net, so everything in square brackets [ ] is spoken mentally. Sorry if this become confusing. **_VERY_** Important notice at end…Enjoy ^_^*)

~*~*~*~

"Folken?!?! Van what do you mean?"

Hitomi asked Van.

[Hitomi I think that this might be Folken's son.But I'm not totally sure. I'm not sure if…]

[Van don't worry. You know that you can trust me, with anything.]

[Of course Hitomi, thank you.]

Everybody had gathered around to see the boy and his wings. 

"Papa?" Doran said to Van.

"Hitomi, I never thought that you have Van were that close?" Millerna teased.

Hitomi went very red, almost purple. "Ummm…He's not mine!!! I mean I would have known!"

Van bent down to get a closer look at this young boy, who claims that Van's his father."Doran, maybe you should put your wings back for now, so that you don't attract anymore attention."

"I'm sorry papa." Doran had the saddest face he looked down and shuffled his feet on the ground.

Van couldn't take being called father much longer, but he patted him on the head in a fatherly way."It's okay. Let's go inside."

"Yes there are a lot of things that seem to be needed to dealt with." Dryden said.

The entire group came in. Van was holding Hitomi's and Doran's hand; Merle and Lavi were holding hands; Dryden and Millerna were holding hands with Celena walking beside them, and trailing behind were Gaddis and Anana, who were just talking to each other quietly.

When they reached Van's study, everyone was off thinking about the third future war, and this little boy with the white wings. 

Finally Van was the first to speak, "What has happened since we've been gone?" Van said getting right to the point.

Mentally he asked Hitomi a different question, [Hitomi, should we tell them that we are engaged? If you want, we could tell them or wait to have it officially announced to everyone?]

[I really would like to tell them, but I guess at a more appropriate time.]

[Okay.] Van smiled and returned to the conversation including everyone else.

"Given the fact that I've been around since the beginning of this mess, I'll explain most of it." Merle said. For some reason, she seamed kind of sad, or gloomy. It was actually a short quick to the point explication of everything; Allen and Chid were out fighting; everyone had gathered here because Hitomi had returned and then disappeared. The largest surprise of all, that had Van almost lost his mind, was that Merle and Lavi were courting each other. Hitomi went all dreamy eyes and Van was just startled that Merle and Lavi were dating, he never thought of Merle getting a boyfriend, as Hitomi called them.

"That's about it, other than Doran calling you father. Speaking about being a father, I tell you Hitomi, the ladies couldn't stop drooling and chasing after him, when you went back to the moon." Merle said trying to embarrass Van in front of Hitomi, it actually worked; his face was beat red.

"Ah Merle stop teasing them, you know they really _loooovvvvve_ each other, they just simply can't say it yet." Celena said jokingly.

"Celena, you shouldn't have said that, you know they are supposed to realize it first before we cut in." Millerna said teasingly Hitomi could tell that they were just joking, but she was crimson; and when she looked over at Van, his face was a mix between, furious but more mortified, (but it was also beat red), he was embarrassed that everyone had realized that they loved each other, before they had actually said it to each other. (*Before the trip to Earth, with both Van and Hitomi*)

Van glared at all of them and spoke out, "I'll have you know, that I love Hitomi very much and we're getting married!" he said with a shout. Everybody looked at him, shocked at the outburst. 

After he said that, he thought that if he pounded his hand of the desk or stamped his foot, he could have been 2 years old again.

Van relaxed. "I can't believe that I just said that, I acted like a small child!" Van said as he started to laugh so hard that he had to sit down and take a breath. 

Hitomi joined in on the laugh. Everyone looked at them as if they had finally lost their minds. One by one they all joined in the laughter.

[Dear, dear Van, that was very childish, not to mention that I've never seen a King more in his prime.] Hitomi said mentally, laughing very hard. 

[Hitomi I'm so sorry that I blurted that out… hey, don't you think that was a bit mean?] 

Ignoring what Van said following the apology, she reassured him.[Van it really was funny, anyways there friends, and I'm glad that you told them, even though you sounded like you were 2.] Hitomi walked over to Van and gave him a hug and a kiss, right in front of everyone. Once again everyone was shocked. 

"Get used to it." Van said absentmindedly hugging her tightly.

"Van we were used to it way before you were, we always knew that you two would marry one day. We're just glad that you two finally had the nerve to get it over with." Celena said. 

Everyone laughed, Van stood up, and kept his arm around Hitomi waist. 

"I guess we should find out more about Doran. And who we are about to go to war against." 

"So I take it that Allen and Chid got the message that I sent them, right?" Hitomi asked Merle. 

"Yep, and then they rushed out of here.They took a lot of reinforcements with them too, from both Fanelia and Austuria, I hope that they are okay."

"I'm sure that they're fine Merle, they can deal with a lot." Millerna said. 

"I hope so." 

"So Doran came here with Lady Anana, who came here with Gaddis. So where exactly did you pick her up Gaddis?" Van asked still trying to sort things out in his head.

"We picked her up just on the out side of Austuria.One weird thing about the ride here is that just on the outskirts of Fanelia, we ran into some bandits, it was very annoying, because they said that we couldn't drop things off to you; but in the end they ran away. So I think that it might be Zaibach, mainly because they had the crest of Zaibach on almost every thing.I wouldn't be surprised if they were mad at you, the King of Fanelia, because of you're part in the destiny war."

Everyone was startled that Gaddis was probably right with the whole idea. [Van I think that I should tell everyone about my vision; the one with Anana and Doran. I really think that they should know.]Hitomi said.

[You're probably right,] 

"I had a vision, a little while ago, and…. well Miss Anana and Doran were in it.Fanelia was on fire and they were caught in the midst of it, Doran also had his wings out.I really have a bad feeling about this, I'm quite sure that Fanelia is going to be attacked and we're all going to be in trouble." She said leaving out the part that his wings were black.

"Ok." Van said trying to make a plan. "I think that I have an idea about a couple of things; first I have to evacuate Fanelia, I don't want anymore people getting hurt. Secondly I think that in stead of just waiting to be attacked, I think that we should just attack them; a surprise attack." Van said, still thinking things over, to make sure that everything works out. "Where is Crusade II Gaddis?" 

"Well it's almost done being built, but it's back Austuria, I guess if you want I could go back and get it." 

"Yes, that would be very good, but stay here the night to rest, and take what ever you need to get back there.In the mean time, I will start the evacuation of Fanelia. Now one to other things, who is Doran?" 

At the sound of his name being called, Doran came up to his so called "father" (Van) and looked up at him. "Yes papa?" 

"Ummm…" Van said uneasy. 

"Van can I speak to you for a second?" Celena asked. 

They drifted away from the group. "Van I'm really worried about Allen, I think that something might be wrong with him." She said having a sister's intuition. "AND what ever you do, don't tell Doran that you're not his father, it could break his heart.Just remember he's just a little boy." 

"Yes honey." Van said, bugging Celena. 

"Stop that!" She said as they came back to the rest of the group. 

"So Doran what do you remember about your mother?" 

"Don't you remember her papa? Well I remember that she was tall, (*remember this is from his point of view*) she had dark black hair and she always made us sweets whenever you came back from work, and…papa didn't you have light hair?" 

"Light hair…?" 

"Yep, and it was spiky, and papa, your arm healed! YAAAaaaa." Doran said grabbing Van's arm and carefully gazed at it with wonder.

[FOLKEN!!!] Hitomi shouted in their mind. [Van I think that you're right, it might be Folken's son. I never thought….] 

"I think you're right Hitomi." Van said out loud. 

"Hmmm?" Merle looked at the two.

"What, she didn't say anything." 

"Merle, ummm, not to confuse you or anything, but we can read each other's thoughts. I guess the links back and it's much stronger." Van said

"Oh, ok, but then I'm still missing something…what did she say?!?!" Merle asked, still very confused. 

[You might as well tell everyone, they'll need to know at some point.] 

[I guess there's no time like the present.] Van said."Ummm…I really think that Doran could be Folken's son." 

"You mean that…when did he have time to get a wife and have a child?" Merle asked once again very confused. 

"I'm not sure I just…I guess I just know. I'm not sure how, but I just know.Maybe we'll find out more about him later, but for now I want to concentrate on the upcoming war. I…" 

[Van…] Hitomi called out to him as with out warning she fell. 

[Hitomi!] "Hitomi!" he called out to her mind and ears. He leaped over to her and caught her before she was on the ground. "What's wrong? Hitomi?!?" Van was always so afraid for her when she had a vision.He thought that she might be dying or something awful like that. "Oh Hitomi." 

"Van what's wrong with her.Is she having another vision?" Millerna asked.Van nodded."Come lets bring her to her room."Van picked up Hitomi and he and Millerna left with an unconscious Hitomi.

The meeting and their friends off in their own way all frightened for Hitomi.

Millerna was surprised when Van brought Hitomi to his room. He placed her down on their bed and pulled up a chair. Millerna check her head, looking for a fever. Her head was blazing hot.

"She has a fever.I'll be right back. We need to cold her down; I think that we might even have to give her a cold bath. But don't worry, she's very strong and VERY stubborn, she'll pull through." She quickly added. She left the room in search for a cloth and cold water.

Van gave her a sheepish grin then return looking at a very sick Hitomi. "Oh Hitomi, are you sick or are you having a vision." Van asked silently.

Millerna silently reenter the room knowing that he was going to blame himself she said, "Van, you did nothing but love her. Don't blame yourself! You know her better than anyone, and she wouldn't have you doing this to yourself." She handed him a wet cloth. "Here, put this on her head, if she doesn't get better in the next couple of hours than we'll bath her; I assume you'll be staying here with her?" 

Van didn't look over he just nodded his head. 

"Just call me if there's anything, Van.Don't worry she'll be fine, I'm sure she's been in a worse situation. I'll come back every half an hour.Oh and Van, I'm happy for the both of you." 

"Thank you for everything Millerna." He said. When she left the room, Van wiped off the sweat gathering on Hitomi's head. 

"Lord Van?" a small voice said. 

"Merle? I'm in here, you can come in." When he saw her troubled face he couldn't help but ask her what was bothering her. "What's wrong?" 

"Oh Van!" Merle ran up to him and swung her arms around his neck, never in his life had he ever heard her call him his name without the prefix. Something must really be bothering her. 

"Lord Van, I'm sorry but…but miss Anana, she's…. she's…" 

"Shhhh, what's wrong? Calm down. It's okay, I'm here." He remembers how she used to come running into his room in the middle of the night, when there would be a thunder and lightning storm.She was always so afraid.She would cling to his body as a little sister would.As she was doing now. 

"Miss Anana said that she was my… my mother, and that she's been looking for me. Lord Van, I'm…I don't know what to do. I don't know if she's my real mother or not.All I remember of my mother is that she abandoned me as a child.How can I believe her now." 

Van was quiet throughout her whimpering._So that's what has been bothering her. _

"It's okay; is there anything that I can do?" 

"I don't know." She said softly."How's Hitomi doing?" Trying to get off the topic at hand. 

"She'll make it." _I hope. _He added to himself. "Merle did she tell you why she left you?" Trying to get back to her newfound mother. 

"Yah, but I don't know if I can't believe her.She still did desert me.I just am so confused." 

"I'll do anything to help Merle, just ask." Giving her a hug, he felt sad for Merle. Questions started to rise in his head. Would Anana take Merle away? Would she live here? Could she be trusted?

"Thank you lord Van."Merle said sighing.

~*~*~*~

_(HITOMI'S VISION) _

Hitomi opened her eyes to a world filled with fire.She knew that she was having another vision. 

"What?!? No, not another vision!I don't want to see any more people die! I don't want to see anything any more. Please… no more…" She whimpered

As Hitomi looked around she saw terrible things.She saw fire engulfing a city unknown to her. She saw guymelef's fighting; she saw dead people lying on the filthy ground.She saw some children looking for their parents and some lying on the ground. As she turned around she saw a guymelef that looked like Schezard, but it was down on the ground and…there was a red guymelef standing over it.

"Is that Allen?" she couldn't believe what she saw. "No Allen…ALLEN!!!!!! WATCH OUTTTT!!!!!!!" She called out, knowing that he couldn't hear here. The red guymelef struck Schezard, slicing it down the middle of the melef.Schezard slumped to the ground, never to move again.

_NO! I can't let Allen die! _Hitomi closed her eyes and cried out to anyone who was listening. When she opened her eyes she saw that she was in grasslands with the two moons hanging over top of her. 

"What, where am I?" 

"It's your fault, that he died." She heard the whisper that came on the wind. 

"Who's out there? Who are you? It is my fault that who died? Allen? Please tell ME!!!"Hitomi turned around until she was facing a woman with wings white as snow. When Hitomi looked closer at the lady, she saw that it was Van's mother. 

"Varie, why do you say that's it's my fault that Allen died.I warned him that Freid was going to be…" 

"It was your wishes that set the attack on Freid in motion. It's your fault that people are dying. Every time you use your powers, you hurt both worlds more than you can understand.I warned you before of what your wishes do, and yet you ignore me. Please heed my words carefully, be careful what you wish for, there will always be a problem following it."

"But what can I do to help then ones that I do love.I can't standby and do nothing. I care for them too much. It's the only way that I know of helping." 

"You must stop using your wishes. They may not go as planned, and might even hurt yourself. My son cares too deeply for you, and he deserves happiness; Hitomi you are his happiness in life. So I beg of you to stop using your wishes." She said slow fading out. 

"What about the wishes of others, what about them? And who is Doran?" Hitomi called out to her. 

"Good luck my child, give my greetings to my son and my grandson. Take care, Hitomi Fanel." Only a couple of her feathers were floating in the air. 

"Wait I don't understand!!! Come back!!!" 

(_END OF HITOMI'S VISION_) 

~*~*~*~

Dilandau raised his sword and prepared to kill Allen Shezar. 

Allen's life flashed before his eye, it seems that time stopped.He saw his mother, weeping over the disappearance of his father. His sister in the fields, running with flowers in her hands. His father in the vision he had when he was in the mystic valley, telling him to believe in other and have faith in them. He saw Marlene, the first woman he ever loved. His saw Millerna, a woman he had learned to love. Hitomi, the first woman who had refused his advances. Last he saw his son, Chid; Allen only wished that he could have told him who his real father was. He would have like to teach the young King to fight with swords, to be the missing father, who Chid lacked in his life. 

A cry of despair brought him out of his mental picture "NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! FATHER!!!!!!!!" Someone yelled. 

Allen looked up to the red guymelef and saw that there was another sword holding back Dilandau's.

"What?!?!" Allen said in disbelief. _Who could be calling me father? I'm still alive? _Allen took a closer look at the other guymelef and saw that it was none other than Chid! 

_Wait, if Chid's still alive…and then who called me father? Did he?_

Chid blocked Dilandau's sword with his own. _What? How is Chid still alive, I saw that sword go right through his back. _

Allen looked upon the two fighting enemies; Dilandau wasn't even getting tired, but Chid on the other hand wasn't used to this type of fighting. His weaker muscles started to give way.

Allen tried to move his guymelef to help, but it was powerless; so he had to sit and watch Dilandau fight against Chid, his son. 

At a point Chid had the upper hand, Chid was blindly striking Dilandau's melef unit with all of his strength.

"Why wont you just leave us alone!?!?" Chid shouted as he put the rest of his strength into a blow to the head.Dilandau dodged out of the swift sword, but it still struck him in the shoulder. It knocked Dilandau down to the ground.Chid moved back; he had never killed anyone, and he didn't plan to kill even Dilandau.

"Get out of your guymelef and we will spare you." Chid said forcefully.

"You think that I would surrender to a child like you? Get out of my way boy!!!" Dilandau raised his arm with the flamethrower on it and attacked Chid's mask with an intense fire.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" Allen yelled as he saw Dilandau prepare to kill, once more, Chid.

Once again they were saved by one of Chid's knights, although all it had done was block the fire with it's own body.

"It was an honor to serve you, your majesty." The man said over the intercom before he died.

"No! I promised my people that there would be no more suffering.We've all suffered enough!" Chid said softly.

He jumped over the fallen ally, and swiftly went after Dilandau. Chid's allies were starting to gain the advantage.

To get away from Chid, Dilandau changed to flying mode and flew away, recalling the dragon slayers.

As a final count, seven of the new dragon slayers had been knocked down, but so many of Chid's forces was also down. It was almost in the hundreds.

_I let them down again, I'm just not meant to rule._ Chid said miserably. 

"Chid?" Allen called out.

"Yes Allen."

"You…you called me father. Why?"

"Because you are my real father." Chid said to his Allen.

~*~*~*~

(*A/N: Okay prepare for a very long author's note…

1st: I really have to apologize for the VERY LOOOONNNG delay for this chapter. 

2nd: I have to thank everyone for all the amazing reviews that I've been getting!I may not always show that I really appreciate them, but I _REALLY_ do!!There have been little things that people have written in their reviews to me that make me think about the story; so what I am going to do is review and re-edit all the chapters. 

Each new chapter that I post a new chapter will be revised.I've revised chapter 1. 

I promise that I will add things and make this story much better!! It's just going to take some time.And ummm… I've also been told to do a lemony part, I'm really not that type of person, and I'm just to shy. Sorry. (But there are going to be almost lemony part, later. ^_^)

(Oh ya, I'm also really sorry that the fighting scene is so bad, I've never done one before, so if anyone has a suggestion, PLEASE tell me!!! ^_^)

3rd: This has nothing to do with the story really but I have to say it anyways, I want to dedicate my story to my hedgehog, who died on father's day. I know that I'm very pathetic but he was my pet, and I really miss him. So my whole story is dedicated to my dead pet. (I'm really pathetic.) Oh well. 

Thank you once again to all the magnificent people who have read this story! Thank you for all the encouragement!! I will hurry with the next chapter because IT'S SUMMER!!!!!!Oki Miya ^_^*) 


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